Oleksandr Usyk produced a stunning performance inside the ropes to beat Anthony Joshua and become WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion in a classic first boxing clash at a sold-out Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
After the eagerly anticipated unification fight with British rival Tyson Fury did not materialise, Joshua was ordered to fight the Ukrainian by the WBO.
'The Cat' established himself as the best cruiserweight boxer in the world, collecting all four belts to become the first undisputed champion in the division after 15 fights.
He then elected to move up to the heavyweight division, recording victories over Chazz Witherspoon and Dereck Chisora.
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And in just his third fight since making the step up, Usyk put on a boxing masterclass against fellow London 2012 Olympic Gold medalist Joshua en route to becoming unified world heavyweight champion.
Despite a 19lb weight difference and a significant height disadvantage, he displayed incredible head movement and footwork throughout, as well as punishing Joshua and causing a brutal eye injury with some of the wicked shots he produced.
Usyk won via unanimous decision, with the judges scoring it 117-112, 116-112 and 115-113 on the scorecards to give the 34-year-old a historic 19th professional victory and second career defeat for 'AJ'.
The two served up a fight of the year contender and will go at it again after an automatic rematch clause was agreed in the deal.
Featured Image Credit: Image: PATopics: Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk
