Five Things We Learnt From ‘Ring of Fire’

On Saturday, May 18, we saw history created in the heavyweight division as Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) defeated Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to become the first undisputed champion in the division since Lennox Lewis. The two met in the main event of “Ring of Fire,” shown live as a PPV on DAZN and ESPN+ in the United States. Those in the United Kingdom could do so with TNT Sports, Sky Sports and DAZN.

‘Ring of Fire’: Five Things We Learnt From the Card

Usyk Just Doesn’t Stop

The main event was a brilliant spectacle where both fighters had their moments before Usyk prevailed as the winner. The Ukrainian’s ability to vary the angles he punches from was impressive, but his work rate was the most impressive aspect of his performance. He was constantly on the front foot, attacking Fury, pressuring the Brit and making him work every second, which seemed to wear Fury down.

Usyk’s ability to keep coming forward and vary his attacks saw his big ninth-round breakthrough come, where he never stopped throwing and was ultimately unlucky not to stop “The Gypsy King” in that round.

Never Judge a Book by Its Cover

Anthony Cacace came into the fight against IBF super featherweight champion Joe Cordina with seven KOs, which suggested he doesn’t possess big KO power. Carl Frampton had previously described his fellow Irishman’s power: “Anto Cacace is the hardest person I have ever been hit by. He has got freakish power. He whips his shots in and it’s frightening.” 

Cacace had great success, winging in hooks to the body of Cordina while landing some eye-catching uppercuts. It appeared the Welshman was stunned by Cacace’s power. Despite having only seven KOs, the Belfast native showed us his power is real and reminded us we should never judge a book by its cover, as he won the IBF strap by eighth-round TKO.

Sergey Kovalev Needs to Retire

Sergey Kovalev has given us all some memorable moments throughout his career, including his four-round destruction of Nathan Cleverly to win the  WBO light-heavyweight title. Wins against Bernard Hopkins and twice against Jean Pascal were also impressive. He also put up a great fight – against Andre Ward in their first contest – with many believing the Russian had done enough to get the decision.

Despite these memorable moments, Kovalev hadn’t fought since a win over Tervel Pulev in 2022. His opponent on Ring of Fire was unbeaten Swedish cruiserweight Robin Sirwan Safar. The Russian seemed to be falling short with his punches and struggled to get any momentum going – with Safar, the aggressor. The Swedish fighter also scored a final-round knockdown with a big left-right combination. It was a dominant performance from Safar, who won by unanimous decision, with the judge’s scorecards reading 99-90, 97-92 and 95-94, with Kovalev seemingly unable to compete at world level anymore.

Agit Kabayel Is a Problem

Agit Kabayel impressed in his last fight against Arslanbek Makhmudov and continued that impressive form against the previously unbeaten Frank Sanchez. Both fighters entered this intriguing contest, eager to move on to bigger fights.

Sanchez appeared to be struggling with a knee injury, but that’s not to take anything away from the German. The body shots from Kabayel were crushing and were clearly affecting Sanchez. The pressure from the German seemed to help slow the Cuban down. The accuracy and power of Kabayel were impressive, and the stoppage showed the German would be a problem for any heavyweight.

Moses Itauma Is the Future

Moses Itauma is highly regarded in the heavyweight division, with Tyson Fury referring to the Chatham resident as “the future of the heavyweight division.” He has recently started working under the tutelage of Ben Davison, and the immediate results were impressive.

Itauma impressed once again on the “Ring of Fire” undercard as he blew  Ilija Mezencev away in the second round. A cagey opening round saw Itauma send a warning to his opponent as he landed a counter-left combination, which sent the Kazk-born fight retreating and somehow surviving the round. The second round saw the 19-year-old force the stoppage as he landed a beautiful combination, ending with a massive right hand, which knocked Mezencev down and ultimately ended the contest. It was another impressive performance from the teenage heavyweight, who is fast becoming the future of the division.