Media caption, Usyk cements legacy with points win over Fury
Kal Sajad
BBC Sport journalist in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Great fighters make great rivalries.
Once the dust settles and Tyson Fury comes to terms with a second successive loss to Oleksandr Usyk, the Briton may reflect on the part he played in a rivalry that transformed heavyweight boxing.
Fury and Usyk brought the best out of each other over 24 sensational rounds in Riyadh, with their close first fight in May giving cause for a rematch.
Their second bout was one that Fury insists he won, but the judges saw it differently with Usyk awarded a unanimous decision.
The kingdom’s no-expense-spared influence on boxing was on show, with a sparkling hologram depicting the heavyweights and a musical interlude from a drummer performing to the tune of Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger.
Yet for all of the Saudi riches and extravagance, Fury and Usyk were the star attractions. In both fights, they delivered on the hype to provide thrilling heavyweight spectacles.
“Tyson Fury makes me strong. Tyson Fury continues to motivate me, he is a great opponent,” a bruised Usyk said in the post-fight news conference.
“A big man, a big boxer. He is a great man. I respect Tyson Fury. It is already history.”
Media caption, I respect Fury, but Warren is blind – Usyk on rematch win
Fury & Usyk create a masterpiece
Media caption, No doubt I won Usyk fight – Fury
Boxing is one of the easiest sports to follow, which is why a YouTuber fighting a 58-year-old can generate such global interest.
Yet only a few can truly grasp its intricacies. Fury and Usyk are not only students of the sport, they could set the sweet science’s curriculum.
Fury had his first senior amateur bout almost 20 years ago, while Usyk has been boxing since 2006.
After such long, arduous careers – the gruelling training camps, emotional and mental turmoil, damage suffere
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