Sound and the Fury: Usyk's legend confirmed - he can ignore noise of a rematch.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk fought to a bloody, exhausted and brutal standstill in a battle for far more than the various championship belts they paraded at the end.

- STEVE BUNCE

In the hot Saudi Arabian night, Usyk needed help to raise his weary arms in victory when he was given a slim split decision; there was then an unholy scuffle by men in suits to drape their belts across his blood-stained body. It had been 12 rounds of craft and brutality, desperate at times and packed with unforgettable moments. The men from the sanctioning bodies should have stood their ground and let the great man parade.

Fury believed he had done enough, Usyk could barely talk, but there was no abuse of power in that Riyadh ring, just a spectacle that will live for a long, long time in the memories of every witness. They had not celebrated at the final bell, just embraced, hugged, and Fury planted several tender kisses on Usyk’s head.