Usyk vs Briedis results: Oleksandr Usyk wins majority decision, advances to WBSS final

It was hard-fought and competitive throughout, and when it was time for the judges’ scorecards to be read, there was legitimate drama. In the end, it was Oleksandr Usyk staying unbeaten and unifying the WBO and WBC cruiserweight titles, beating Mairis Briedis in Briedis’ hometown.

The win advances Usyk (14-0, 11 KO) to the World Boxing Super Series final, where he awaits the winner of next weekend’s fight between IBF titleholder Murat Gassiev and WBA titleholder Yunier Dorticos.

Usyk won on scores of 114-114, 115-113, and 115-113, a majority decision. BLH had it 114-114, with plenty of rounds that really could have gone either way. It was a fight almost entirely void of clinching or lulls in action, and while it didn’t have the big drama of an instant classic, it was a fantastically fought matchup between two guys who proved they really are at the top of their division.

Briedis (23-1, 18 KO) should feel no shame from this effort, as he took the man perceived to be the world’s best cruiserweight to the deep waters, even after Briedis appeared to tire fairly early in the fight.

The Latvian just never went away, fighting his heart out through the 12th and final round, and making Usyk work for everything. When this one was over, the first thought was that whomever won, he had truly earned it, and that’s the feeling coming out of it, especially with the judges all turning in reasonable scores.

How did you score the fight?