The cruellest cut of all is that the odds against Tyson Fury ever becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world are now far longer than the slenderest of margins by which Oleksandr Usyk beat him to all that glory in their apocalyptic duel in the Saudi desert.

The new wearer of all those burnished belts required stitches alongside his right eye. The fallen King of the Gypsies suffered internal laceration of the nostrils.

If ever an epic of the prize-ring demanded a sequel it is this phenomenal fight for the ages.

Yet even if Fury were to win a rematch in October — even if that return to arms actually takes place — one of the four jewels will be missing from Usyk’s crown.

The IBF will shortly strip him of their championship so as to respect the right of another of their highly ranked heavyweights — namely Filip Hrgovic, in case you have never heard of him — to make his oft delayed challenge for a world title.

Oleksandr Usyk secured his legacy by beating Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night

He became the first undisputed heavyweight champion for a quarter of a century

Usyk joined all-time great Evander Holyfield (pictured) in ruling the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions in his career

After waiting a quarter of a century for a successor to Lennox Lewis as the supreme ruler of its highest domain, boxing will have its undisputed champion for a fortnight. Only boxing could make it up.

Usyk will not fret. His place in the pantheon of all-time greats is assured. Like only one other mighty warrior before him — the rightly nicknamed Real Deal Evander Holyfield — he is now an undisputed champion of both cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions.

It is the ultimate achievement in the hardest game. Add to these distinctions an Olympic gold medal — which the man himself regards as his noblest prize — and he sits now in the company of Ali and Robinson, Louis and Leonard among the immortals.

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Revealed: What Oleksandr Usyk did in his corner after the seventh round before going on to defeat Tyson Fury and claim the undisputed heavyweight crown

To Fury goes the honour of his role in hallmarking Usyk’s triumph by way of unforgettable combat, for which it was a privilege to be in attendance.

Forgive him that remark made in the immediate slough of despond which suggested the decision of the judges was coloured by empathy with Ukraine’s horrifying war with Russia. Later in a long, long night Tyson nodded in assent as his promoter Frank Warren demurred on his behalf.

Although he does still think he won the fight. He can let go. His legacy is secure in his own winning of all the heavyweight titles, albeit not at the same time but over two reigns as champion, in defiance of his mental health afflictions.

Exactly where the travelling man journeys from here is undecided. The Saudi contract commits him to adding another mother-lode to the ballpark £100million he will bank from his first defeat.

Yet as Sunday dawn rose the Arabian sands were shifting. Not towards the seemingly eternal mirage of that Brit-buster finally becoming reality in Anthony Joshua’s planned September return to Wembley in search of world title redemption after twin beatings by Usyk.

That date is set by the IBF for the winner of Hrgovic v Daniel Dubois here in Saudi on Saturday week and Warren confirms: ‘That is too soon for Tyson after this gruelling fight. He must be with his family after all these weeks in training camp. He also needs time to consider what to do next. If he chooses to retire I would support him wholeheartedly.’

Usyk will likely have to give up his IBF title to allow Filip Hrgovic (pictured) to have a shot at it, making Fury’s chances of ever becoming undisputed champion slimmer

Hrgovic is due to take on Britain’s Daniel Dubois on June 1 in Saudi Arabia

Anthony Joshua is due back in the ring in September, but is unlikely to face Fury

Would he? Even in the anguish of losing his undefeated record —which he hid behind matter-of-fact acceptance post-fight — Fury said: ‘I don’t do this for the money. I do it because I love boxing.’

Whether his wonder-woman wife Paris loves him doing it quite so much, we wait to discover. For Usyk there is no option but to respect both his contract and his moral obligations to his sport to imprint a second edition with his lightning fists, his twinkling feet, his indomitable courage, his double PhD in the Noble Arts of technical ring excellence and Napoleonic tactical genius. This is the master of his generation, a maestro of all time.

Perhaps above all, he has will-power which defies comprehension by we mere mortals. Usyk was so far behind in this fight of two diametrically opposite halves that any even slightly lesser mortal would have given up the ghost. All six rounds in arrears on my card.

Fury had emerged from the bloated sloth of recent past as a slimmed down reincarnation of his prime. Unbelievable athletic agility for a monster of a man. Remarkable speed and variety of punch. Overwhelming belief, too, as he not only picked off Usyk from all angles and hurt him with his power but taunted him in an effort to demoralise with outrageous show-boating for such an immense occasion.

Usyk knew that if he did not win the seventh all would be lost. By super-human effort he did just that. Then again, and again.

The ninth was the crucible. When relentless assault by withering left hands was joined in the affray by a sonic right, the Gypsy King slumped semi-senseless against the ropes. For the record the American referee administered an eight-count, correctly, for him being held up by the ropes, not for being dropped to the canvas. Either way, 10-8 to Ukraine.

Fury, heroic as ever under extreme duress, bravely regained his footing. But he continued to ship punishment. By the end of the eleventh they were even, or as good as, and as he made his last stand the judges gave him the final round.

Their split decisions: 115-112 and 114-113 to Usyk, 114-113 to Fury. Your correspondent scored the 12th even, thus calling it a draw. When such an epic contest is this close, no one can complain about it going one way or the other by a whisker.

Fury tried showboating to unsettle Usyk but it didn’t bother the Ukrainian

Usyk stuck to his task and rocked Fury in the ninth round with a huge overhand left

Fury fell into the ropes on multiples occasions and was eventually given a count by the referee which proved decisive on the scorecards

After losing for the first time Fury must decide whether he wants a rematch or if he’ll sail off into the sunset

Never mind ‘Fight of the Century’, this was a classic for ever, taking its place in the litany of the greatest ever. Such is the psychological and emotional stress of such conflict that Usyk wept for his lost father, who he feels has visited him. Shed tears without embarrassment.

He also revealed the contents of a note he had kept secret in his pocket all week. In it he asked Jesus: ‘If I am deserving of this victory, grant it unto me. If so the victory will be yours. You are the great one, not me.’

Fury also prays. For success if worthy but for safe passage for himself and his opponents in this most perilous of sports. But Usyk answered the power of not one higher calling but two.

‘This,’ he said, ‘is for God and my country. Slava Ukraini.’