RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – With 24 rounds between them and no need for a third fight after another win by Oleksandr Usyk – this time more emphatic than in the first fight – Tyson Fury leaned over and kissed his rival as heavyweight champion Head celebrated.

The respect isn’t surprising considering how grueling those two fights were. With so much at stake – Fury’s quest to regain his titles as a three-time champion and Usyk’s attempt to take him back – it was Usyk who pulled away down the home stretch on Saturday night.

In their May meeting, the leading candidate for ESPN’s Fight of the Year, Usyk (23-0, 14 KOs) established himself as the world’s top heavyweight and the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the ESPN rankings. The rematch meant even more. In addition to solidifying that dual status, a second, more definitive victory cemented Usyk as the best heavyweight of his generation, the greatest fighter in boxing’s glamor division since the retirement of Lennox Lewis in 2004, and a great all-time.

When Usyk won gold at the European Amateur Championships in 2008, he was a light heavyweight, while his Ukrainian compatriot Wladimir Klitschko reigned as a heavyweight champion. Four years later, at the London Olympics, Usyk won gold in the heavyweight division, while Anthony Joshua won a gold medal in the super heavyweight division. Years later, as a professional, Usyk swept the cruiserweight division as undisputed champion and defeated Joshua twice in the heavyweight division to become unified champion.

May’s split decision victory over Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) also gave the 37-year-old Usyk the undisputed heavyweight championship. And in that fight, he almost stopped Fury in round 9 when he landed 14 unanswered punches, giving Fury his eighth canvas win of his career.

Seven months later, there hasn’t been a defining moment where either fighter was in serious trouble. And while the fight was entertaining, it wasn’t nearly as exciting as the first encounter. Despite no defeats, Usyk’s victory was never in doubt this time as he won via unanimous decision (116-112, 116-112, 116-112).

“I respect this guy a lot because I think he’s very tough,” Usyk told ESPN. “…Tyson Fury makes me strong. Tyson is a great opponent. Big man. He’s a good man. Tyson, there’s a lot of talk, but it’s just for show.”

Fury insisted he deserved the nod. Asked if he felt Usyk’s spirit in the fight, Fury replied: “Yes, Christmas spirit, he received a Christmas present.”

Usyk admitted that this fight was easier than the first time.

The 36-year-old Fury boxed well, especially when he switched stances and fired a right jab with his left hand. But like the first fight, it faded over time. He lost rounds 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11 on all three scorecards.

“If you don’t get the knockout, here’s what can happen,” Fury said. “…I did my best. If I could have done more, I would have, and that was it.”

Usyk left no doubt that he was the better fighter, even though many rounds were very close. A third fight is not necessary. Two future Hall of Famers met over 24 rounds and Usyk proved he was the better man despite being over 50 pounds behind and losing nearly six inches of height.

Usyk will of course continue to fight. There are tens of millions to be made as his star continues to rise and he brings more attention (and pride) to war-torn Ukraine. Daniel Dubois, whom Usyk knocked out in nine rounds in Poland in August 2023, interrupted Usyk’s post-fight interview to demand a rematch.

“I want my revenge,” said Dubois, who captured the IBF title that was stripped from Usyk in June with a fifth-round knockout of Joshua in September.

Usyk quickly responded that he would be open to a rematch, but that fight would not come close to the big stage he enjoyed this year with two wins over Fury, one of the sport’s top stars. The first Dubois fight wasn’t remotely competitive and Usyk scored the knockout with a jab.

England’s Dubois has since put together an impressive streak of three consecutive victories over the distance (TKO victories over Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic before the upset of Joshua).

However, Dubois faces a tough test against former defending champion Joseph Parker in Riyadh on February 22nd. With Joshua and Fury finally out of the way, there is no mega fight in sight for Usyk.

Fury, meanwhile, could face Joshua in the losers’ bracket, in a fight that is still highly anticipated, particularly in the UK, due to the combined star power. And no matter where Fury goes from here, he will go down in history as an absolute star.

But he will always have Usyk’s back.