Oleksandr Usyk setting up Tony Bellew for monster KO was a boxing work of art

When Oleksandr Usyk retires, he will go down as a true pound-for-pound great in the sport of boxing. 

After defeating Murat Gassiev via unanimous decision, the Ukrainian called out Tony Bellew for a fight.

Bellew took to social media to accept Usyk’s callout. However, the Englishman wanted the fight to take place at cruiserweight and be for the undisputed cruiserweight championship.

Despite tricky negotiations, the pair agreed to fight in Manchester in October of 2018.

Usually, Usyk is a very slow starter as he likes to understand his opponent’s style before breaking them down.

The first few rounds were a feeling out process for both Bellew and Usyk. Oleksandr was frustrating the Brit a lot due to his sharp footwork, forcing Bellew to miss with some of his punches.

Just after the midway point of the fight, the Ukrainian started to take control of proceedings. It was evident that Bellew was starting to tire.

In the eighth round, it was evident that Usyk was looking to put the Englishman away. Usyk was throwing some nice feints, before wobbling Bellew with a sharp left hand.

Moments after, Usyk was successful with another left hand, dropping Bellew to the canvas. Unfortunately for the Brit, he was unable to get up, with the referee calling the fight.

This knockout by Usyk is so underrated❗️- The sequence before the KO is a master boxer at work, Bellew never stood a chance