VIDEO: Oleksandr Usyk kisses Christian crucifix in corner before Round 9 knockdown of Tyson Fury

Oleksandr Usyk made boxing history on May 18, beating Tyson Fury by split decision on the back of a huge ninth round to swing the momentum in his favor. In the aftermath of the fight, many have noticed that the Ukrainian may have entered the final rounds of the fight with additional motivation.

As one fan pointed out the day after the 'Ring of Fire,' Usyk's coach offered his fighter a Christian crucifix in between rounds seven and eight. To that point, Fury had established control of the fight. But once presented with the cross, 'The Cat' kissed the symbol before going on to win a majority of the final few rounds en route to becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion.

Eddie Hearn reacted to the video, quote-tweeting:

"Wow"

While not as prominent with his religion as other fighters, Usyk has previously alluded to his faith in God. The 37-year-old is often seen wearing the crucifix around his neck, and he immediately put it on after the fight with Fury had ended.

In reaction to the video, one fan commented:

"Jesus is the undisputed champion of the universe"

Other fans, however, were less enthused by the video, suspecting an illegal substance potentially being hidden on the cross. Critical fans commented:

"Why was he moving his mouth like he ingested something?"

"It was an energy gel shot... came out buzzing and smashed Fury"

In his post-fight interview, Usyk thanked Jesus while dedicating the win to his struggling country and late father.

View more fan reactions to Oleksandr Usyk kissing a crucifix before the eighth round below:

Fans reacting to Oleksandr Usyk kissing a cross [via @eddiehearn on X]

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Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk official scorecards

As many expected, the first undisputed heavyweight championship fight in boxing in 25 years was a highly competitive bout that lasted the full 12 rounds. By the end of the fight, the judges' scorecards were needed and Oleksandr Usyk was given the nod by two of the three ring-side scorers to add the WBC belt to his collection.

Behind a 10-8 round in the ninth frame, Usyk was given a 115-112 win by Manuel Oliver Palomo and a 114-113 edge from Mike Fitzgerald. The third judge, Craig Metcalfe, scored the fight 114-113 in favor of Tyson Fury.

The judges' scorecards reflected the general consensus of the action, giving most of the first six rounds to Fury but the majority of the final six rounds to Usyk. The Ukrainian also scored the only knockdown of the fight in the ninth round, giving him the only 10-8 round.