Fury vs. Usyk Review, Brian Norman Jr. Knocks Giovanni Santillan Silly, Jai Opetaia Regains IBF Title, Lawrence Okolie Returns at Bridgerweight!

Ukraine now has three world champions, but only one can call himself the face of boxing. Oleksandr Usyk has achieved the unthinkable. For the first time in over 20 years, the world now has an Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion. Oleksandr Usyk has gained the WBC, WBO, WBA, IBF, IBO, and The Ring-Lineal World Heavyweight Championships in a true war for the ages.

The biggest fight of the year saw Usyk have trouble with the defending WBC World Heavyweight Champion for the first six rounds. The fight opened with Tyson Fury using his reach to the best of his ability, bullying the smaller man with long shots from the outside. The man dubbed the "Gypsy King" showed why he is the king in question with this masterful boxing performance in the early rounds of the fight.

The Ukrainian was forced to chase Fury across the ring. Fury was using his size and the space within the ring to the best of his ability, jabbing and moving each time the smaller man attempted to advance against him. Usyk looked to be in significant danger in round four especially. Fury clipped Usyk with a powerful right cross-left uppercut combination that lifted Usyk's lead foot from the canvas.

Usyk was not deterred by Fury's onslaught of straight punches and uppercuts, using his footwork to make progress inside. Once Fury recognized that Usyk was slowly creeping his way into inside shot range, he switched his attack and began battering Usyk to the body. Usyk didn't appear to be hurt, but his offense was slowing down over time. A common theme across all of Usyk's fights is that he doesn't particularly respond well to body shots.

Fury's awareness of this helped him greatly, moving the fight at his pace once he began to throw left and right hooks to the body. This progressed until round seven, when Usyk began to move his body and head much more. Similar to his Ukrainian contemporary Vasiliy Lomachenko, Usyk needed time to "download data", or understand his opponent's punching rhythm and punch selection. Once Usyk's learning phase was complete, he began to take greater risks with his punches.

The straight left hand made repeated appearances at this point of the fight. Usyk continued to aim upward at Fury, making a serious effort to reach over his longer shots. Punching between combinations is Usyk's strongest asset during exchanges, and this skill is what earned him one of the most shocking moments in heavyweight history. In round nine, Fury attempted to use the right cross-left uppercut combination that stifled Usyk's offense early in the fight.

This time, Usyk was prepared. With the full analysis of Fury complete, Usyk began to crush him. First, a lead right hook shot over the top, hitting Fury cleanly for an excellent Southpaw left hook setup. Usyk swiftly threw the left hook and knocked the soul out of Tyson Fury. Fury went leaning back into the northern ropes of the ring, his eyes rolling back along with him. A straight left split Fury’s guard, once again forcing him to lean. He attempted to run away from Usyk, but his body slid along the ropes until he eventually slumped downward and lost balance. This fight will age very well because of that moment. No one expected to see Tyson Fury that badly hurt, especially not by someone such as Oleksandr Usyk. By defeating both Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, Usyk could call the shots in the division for the foreseeable future. Doubting Usyk as a credible threat was Tyson Fury's biggest mistake, as he is now beltless. Public perception of Tyson Fury has also suffered greatly. His defenses against Derek Chisora (which held the division up) earned him significant heat from fans and pundits alike. Now, in the present, the fans have chosen to elevate Usyk due to his eagerness to chase true challengers and belts alike.

[Jai Opetaia Shatters Mairis Briedis's Nose, Regains IBF Cruiserweight World Title!]

Mairis Briedis has remained a fixture of the cruiserweight division for many years. Briedis was a former champion in his best days, a symbol of the top flight of the division in his country. However, Briedis' match against Lineal Cruiserweight Champion Jai Opetaia was completely out of his hands.

He fell short of returning to world championship glory due to his lack of speed. While Briedis did return fire on each of the exchanges he had with Opetaia, he didn't show an eagerness to be first to the punch. He landed one to two shots when he engaged the lineal champion but was hit with three to four when he made attempts to exit. Opetaia's swift straight punches and crisp check hooks helped him maintain ring control in dangerous moments. Opetaia dictated the pace of the fight, showcasing that he has more than just power in his punches. This was an excellent professional performance from Opetaia, efficiently using outside shots to rake in easy points.

The fight became much more competitive in round 8. Briedis opened the round with a massive left hook that grazed the nose of Opetaia. Opetaia's nose immediately began leaking, and he began to reevaluate the approach he took during the earlier portion of the match. Briedis accelerated in pace, pushing Opetaia to the ropes on several occasions. The fight was shifting in favor of Briedis, but Opetaia used smart ring control to survive.

Thankfully, Opetaia's footwork was enough to get him through the last two rounds of the fight. Briedis was intent on making the world recognize that he is far from finished. The commentator team continuously pointed out Briedis' age and the number of years he has competed as an indicator of the idea that he should probably slow down.

Considering retirement for another man is a bit of a reach if he isn't in poor condition, and it didn't appear as if Briedis was losing his skill. Although he was getting beaten in the earlier rounds, the fighting display he put on near the end of the fight was solid enough to prove to the world that he could still perform at the world championship level without losing the power needed to make others respect him.

Opetaia was caught off guard by the sudden change in tempo, mostly due to the fact that he was controlling Briedis fairly well. Whatever Briedis' coaches said to him in between rounds nine and ten clearly worked, because he came out of the corner like a wild animal at the tail end of the fight. It was a beautiful and bloody end to an all-action fight. Opetaia deserves to be IBF Champion once again, but this fight also shows why it is important to never count out the old guard of the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions.

Briedis only has three losses on his record now, and he is ranked 7th worldwide. He has never been knocked out, and all of his losses have been from points. The man's first loss came from Oleksandr Usyk, and the second came from his initial encounter with Opetaia in 2022. Briedis could easily return to another title shot after defeating men ranked below him. As for Opetaia, the division is fairly easy to unify.

WBA Cruiserweight World Champion Zurdo Ramirez is signed to Golden Boy Promotions, who fit under the DAZN umbrella. Opetaia has frequently appeared on DAZN cards, both defending and winning belts. A matchup between Opetaia and Ramirez would be commercially viable and entertaining the fans. In the words of the legendary Shawn Porter, “Styles make fights.” The fighting styles both men bring to the table are compatible, and they certainly will not disappoint.

[Anthony Cacace Flatlines Joe Cordina, Unifies IBO-IBF World Championships!]

The disrespect of IBO champions must end. Throughout the years of its existence, DQ w/ Damani has been used to promote champions equally. For some strange reason, the casual boxing community has opted to continuously push IBO belt holders to the side.

Anthony Cacace is an example of why foolishly discrediting these champions is baseless. Cacace walked into the fight with little other than his name and a cluster of fans who truly knew how great of a talent he was.

Highly touted as the favorite, Cordina was meant to walk over Cacace. Many fight graphics made it known that Cordina was the younger man, and arguably the more powerful one. They couldn't have been any more wrong, but this swayed public opinion of the fight to a ridiculous level. In the view of casuals, Cordina wasn't supposed to have much trouble. Instead, Cordina found himself in one of the most difficult fights of his career, if not the most difficult of all.

Early in the fight, Cacace landed a massive left hook to the body-left hook to the head combination that rocked Cordina to the core. He went flying backward into the ropes, and automatically shielded himself with the high guard. It immediately became a game of survival in round three.

With 1:26 left on the clock, Cacace began pummeling away at Cordina's guard, reaching down low to the body with ease as well. A six punch combination finishing with a rear-hand orthodox uppercut sent Cordina downard face-first, his nose scraping the canvas for what many believed to be the most shocking knockdown of the night. Cacace made Cordina look like an amateur, easily unleashing six-to-seven punch combinations to his body and head. Cacace controlled the ring, masterfully drawing Cordina in to take risks when he didn't need to. Cordina gave his best effort, throwing back bombs to stop Cacace's crafty footwork and shot selection.

The shots that did land earned Cacace's respect, but it only gave him fuel to throw back faster, harder, and with more volume. In round four, Cacace was so comfortable that he was able to throw a five-punch combination using only the left uppercut.

The conclusion of the fight seemed like it could come at any moment, Cordina was taking damaging shots at such a high frequency that the referee began to close the distance between himself and the two combatants. The situation was dire, but Cordina's corner continued to give him instructions. Intent on following through on what his corner told him to do, Cordina advanced despite the demolishing shots that landed through his guard.

A right cross-to-left hook combination gave Cordina a good start, but he wasn't fast enough to exit exchanges due to fatigue. Cacace responded with a left and right shovel hook to the body, and once again Cordina found himself on the ropes. Using the ropes to build offense, Cordina skillfully rolled under Cacace's right hook several times, jabbing him back after he made the IBO World Champion miss. Undeterred, Cacace pressed Cordina further into the ropes.

In round seven, Cacace repeated the same uppercut combination he used earlier in the fight, this time using his right hand. Four uppercuts split Cordina's guard, and then a right hook to the body crippled him further. The situation truly became dire in round eight. Within the first minute, Cacace crushed Cordina with a right hook that spun his chin to the side. Stumbling backwards, the IBF Super-Featherweight World Champion hit the ropes once again. Cacace loaded up with a jab to the body, another right hook to the head, a left hook to the body, and the referee stepped in, hugging Cordina.

Cacace's entire team stormed the ring, elated that their man unified the IBO and IBF World Super-Featherweight World Championships. The landscape of super-featherweight has now changed significantly with this win from Cacace. Two belts are returning to Ireland. One belt remains in Mexico, with Emmanuel Navarrete. The other two reside in the United States, one with Lamont Roach, the other with O'Shaquie Foster. Unifying these belts will be difficult due to promotional differences, but with enough time and effort, Cacace could become the Undisputed Super-Featherweight Champion of the world.

[Brian Norman Jr. Conquers Giovani Santillan, Earns WBO Interim Welterweight Title!]

Brian Norman Jr. is a name that holds significant weight in ESPN Top Rank. The 23-year-old has made significant progress in his division, with the exception of a sleeper against "Quickdraw" Quinton Randall Jr.

Upon being matched up with the undefeated Giovani Santillan, casual fans immediately flocked to social media to express that Santillan was going to shatter Norman Jr.'s record in the same fashion he shattered Alexis Rocha's. Unfortunately for the casual fanbase and Santillan, it was his record that was shattered, by a devastating knockout.

This fight was the true main event of the night Emmanuel Navarrete was meant to gain the WBC Lightweight World Championship. While he was not successful in one of the most deadpan fights of all time, Norman Jr. and Santillan made up for it with a real Mexican brawl. It was the first time many people had ever seen someone stand in the pocket with a Mexican who fought with the true Mexican-style.

Norman Jr. almost never exited the pocket against Santillan. In fact, Norman looked very comfortable brawling with Santillan. This fight was a true testament to the young man's chin. He took many punches from his rival and remained composed. The 23-year-old from Conyers, Georgia gave Santillan a smile each time he attempted to gain his respect with explosive body shots.

Each time Santillan increased the intensity of the fight, Norman Jr. did the same, often times with more punches than Santillan threw during his portion of the exchange. This was ultimately Santillan's downfall.

The activity was great, but he was getting hit far too often, and with too many shots. By the fifth round, Santillan's face was bloody, bruised, and beyond recognition. In the ninth round, Santillan was dropped badly by a powerful right hook that Norman timed as he stepped in to throw a punch. Santillan rose to his feet, but the damage was already done. It all came to a close in the 10th round, when Norman Jr. froze Santillan with a beautiful straight right, left hook, right uppercut combination.

Santillan's arms froze stiff, and he crashed to the canvas sideways. As Santillan hit the floor, Norman Jr. squatted over his still body. The image of Norman Jr. crouching on Santillan went viral overnight, adding more credibility to Norman Jr.'s name. There's truly no telling what's next for Norman Jr. The 147-lb division is anyone's game right now. Once Terence Crawford fights Israil Madrimov at 154 lbs, his WBO, WBC, and IBF World Welterweight Championships will become vacant.

This means that Brian Norman Jr. will be elevated to full world champion status in his own right, similar to the way Eimantas Stanionis' WBA Regular World Welterweight Championship was elevated to the full WBA World Welterweight Championship. Once this takes place, Norman Jr. will have the best picks of the division. Mario Barrios could easily be a target for Norman Jr., as well as Stanionis. Jaron "Boots" Ennis will also be a great fight for Norman Jr., but he will have to wait for the result between "Boots" and rising Canadian contender Cody Crowley. This fight will take place on July 13th.

Brian Norman Jr.'s father and head coach, Brian Norman Sr., went on Nestor Gibbs' ThaBoxingVoice to discuss the potential his son has in fighting the other world champions at this time. "If Boots and the others want this fight, they'll have to be the ones to push for it." It's clear that the Norman family is interested in the fight, but they also want to rack up a few title defenses before they jump into unifications. Whatever Norman Jr. and his father choose to do, the sky is the limit.

[Lawrence Okolie Ascends to WBC Bridgerweight Title Fight!]

The WBC has sanctioned another bridgerweight match. Many casual boxing fans may not know what the bridgerweight division is. Bridgerweight was introduced by the WBC in 2020, earning its name from the hero Bridger Walker, who first gained recognition during the quarantine period.

Walker saved his four-year-old sister from a wild dog that attempted to attack her, sustaining heavy facial damage in the process. He successfully fought the dog off, and his story became a guiding light in a dark time.

The WBC chose to create this division due to the glaring issues between the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. There are many undersized heavyweights who are forced to fight at cruiserweight, which causes many people to pursue potentially dangerous weight cuts. On the other end of the spectrum, there are many cruiserweights who should be taking their efforts to heavyweight, but choose not to due to the pace of the division, and weight.

To resolve both of these problems, the bridgerweight division was set between 200 and 224 lbs. Upon the creation of this division back in 2020, Mauricio Sulaiman alerted all ranked cruiserweights and heavyweights through email. One of the cruiserweights who received the call to action was Lawrence Okolie, the former WBO World Cruiserweight Champion. Okolie had the world in his hands, defending his belt an impressive four times. Unfortunately, in his fifth planned defense, he faced "The Gentleman", Chris Billam-Smith.

This clash saw Okolie floored three times. He fell victim to Smith's power in the fourth round, using his lead hand to keep Smith at bay. This mistake meant that there was no hand to protect his chin from a shot aimed outside, which Smith landed successfully with a lightning-quick left hand.

The first loss of his career left Okolie questioning whether or not the weight cuts to cruiserweight were truly worthwhile. After much deliberation, Okolie made the unorthodox decision to omit heavyweight and chase greatness at bridgerweight.

Many cruiserweights have simply moved up to heavyweight instead of doing business at bridgerweight, such as former WBA World Cruiserweight Champion Ryad Merhy. Separating himself from his contemporaries, Okolie has decided to take on the challenge of fighting for the WBC World Bridgerweight Championship, which brings new attention to the weight class that has been relatively quiet in recent years.

Okolie's opponent, Lukaz Rozanski, has spent most of his career in his native country of Poland. The match, which could potentially be Rozanski's last, will also be taking place in Poland. With a hostile crowd vying for their man to win, Okolie will have to remain focused in order to advance towards potentially unifying the division. There are currently only two belts in the bridgerweight division, one backed by the WBC, and the other backed by the WBA. If this fight successfully captures the eyes, investors will certainly show interest in future main events between bridgerweights.