World cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk still the champ
Manchester — Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk remained undisputed world cruiserweight champion on Saturday with an eighth round stoppage of British underdog Tony Bellew at the Manchester Arena. The 2012 Olympic heavyweight gold medallist stunned Bellew with a right to the head before banging in a looping left to send him crashing to the canvas and, ultimately, into retirement. British referee Terry O’Connor stepped in and stopped the fight, with 31-year-old Usyk stretching his professional record to 16-0-0. In a fight that was more evenly matched than most had expected, Bellew was ahead 67-66 68-65 on two of the scorecards and level 67-67 on the third going into the decisive round after coming out fighting from the start. The Briton, a former world cruiserweight champion who moved up to heavyweight and twice beat compatriot and former world champion David Haye, paid an emotional tribute to his southpaw rival. “I tried my best. I gave it everything I’ve got,” Bellew told the crowd, admitting...
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