Boxing's first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years, Oleksandr Usyk, is preparing to once again face Tyson Fury, the man he beat to win his crown, in Saudi Arabia.
BOXING: INOUE AGAINST GOODMAN | FRIDAY JANUARY 24 7:00 p.m. AEDT | Australian Sam Goodman is set for a spectacular fight against the formidable Naoya “The Monster” Inoue in Tokyo | Order now on Main Event on Kayo Sports.
Usyk (22-0) had a split decision victory in their first meeting, and he will defend all of his titles except the IBF belt which he relinquished and which is now held by Daniel Dubois.
Fury (34-1-1) is hoping to avenge his only professional defeat, with a reported purse of US$190 million and the possibility of a third clash in his sights.
READ: How Fury vs. Usyk could end the decade-long boxing debate… and set up a blockbuster fight in Australia
The Usyk vs. Fury 2 event will air in Australia on Sunday, December 22 – tune in to the fight at your favorite pub or entertainment venue.
The schedule begins at 2:30am AEDT on Sunday, with Usyk and Fury entering the ring for the main event around 9am AEDT on Sunday (estimate).
You can follow every highlight live on Foxsports.com.au. It will also be available to stream on DAZN.
FULL MAP OF USYK VS FURY 2 FIGHT
Oleksandr Usyk (c) vs. Tyson Fury 2 for WBA, WBC, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles, 12 rounds of 3 minutes
Serhii Bohachuk vs. Israil Madrimov, final qualifier for the WBO super welterweight world championship, 12 rounds of 3 minutes
Moses Itauma vs. Demsey McKean, WBO Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, 10 rounds of 3 minutes
Dennis McCann v Peter McGrail, British Super Bantamweight Championship, 12 rounds of 3 minutes
Johnny Fisher vs. Dave Allen, vacant WBC Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship, 10 rounds of 3 minutes
Isaac Lowe vs. Lee McGregor, vacant WBC International Featherweight Championship, 10 rounds of 3 minutes
Daniel Lapin vs. Dylan Colin, vacant WBA continental light heavyweight championship, 10 rounds of 3 minutes
Andrii Novytskyi vs. Edgar Ramirez, WBC International Heavyweight Championship, 10 rounds of 3 minutes
Fury BENDS under pressure from Usyk | 01:11
COMBAT OVERVIEW
Tyson Fury made his heaviest weight of his career on Friday, vowing to fight hard against Oleksandr Usyk in their world title rematch.
The Englishman, although dressed, listed a weight of 281 pounds (127.4 kg), 19 pounds heavier than when he lost to the Ukrainian in their reunification fight in May.
Usyk, also dressed for the winter cold at Riyadh's Wonder Garden amusement park, weighed 226 pounds, 2.5 pounds heavier than seven months ago.
Fury's extra weight indicates he is determined to physically dominate the smaller Usyk on Saturday. He offered only one word to the interviewer as he left the stage: “war.”
“When a 280-pound man hits you in the face, it makes a difference to a 17-stone man,” Fury told Sky Sports earlier.
The 36-year-old “Gypsy King” desperately needs this victory to erase his only career defeat against the mobile and elusive Usyk in Riyadh in May.
The first reunification fight of the four-belt era was decided by a split decision, although Fury was saved by the bell after a standing count in the ninth round.
Just three belts – IBO, WBC and WBO – are at stake after Usyk abandoned the IBF title to focus on rematch, rather than facing mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.
The Ukrainian has already enjoyed one of the great careers in boxing, having won Olympic gold and becoming undisputed light heavyweight champion before moving up to heavyweight.
A rather discreet preparation caught fire Thursday during a press conference where the two boxers faced each other during an 11-minute marathon, despite attempts to separate.
On Friday, they passed each other for a few seconds before separating. Usyk, 37, comes in undefeated with a record of 22-0, 14 KOs, while Fury, at 6 feet 9 inches (206 cm) and six inches taller (15 cm), is 34-1-1 with 24 KO.
A victory for Usyk, who was briefly a soldier after the Russian invasion, would be an encouragement to his country at war for almost three years against its giant neighbor.
Saturday's fight is part of a series of major sporting events financed by oil money in Saudi Arabia, recently confirmed as host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Formula 1, LIV Golf, top-level tennis and a parade of football stars are among recent acquisitions as the world's largest oil exporter seeks to diversify its hydrocarbon-dependent economy and modernize its ultra-conservative image.
Earlier, according to reports, there was encouraging news for Fury at the pre-fight rules meeting, where it was decided that he would not have to shave off his full beard, despite concerns from Usyk's team that it could cushion the blows.
“He has a beard and a lot of boxers over the years have fought with beards, and that’s the way it is,” promoter Frank Warren told Sky Sports.
Watch Sports Live ????
This match goes beyond just a clash between two champions; it symbolizes the personal and national issue on the international scene. The result could influence not only their respective careers, but also the image that each will project of their country on the world sporting stage. What implications could this have for the future of boxing and the sport in Saudi Arabia?
Our editors use AI to help them deliver fresh items from trusted sources to our users. If you find any image or content that is inappropriate, please contact us via DMCA form and we will promptly remove it. / Our editors use AI to help them offer our readers fresh articles from reliable sources. If you find an image or content inappropriate, please contact us via the DMCA form and we’ll remove it promptly.
- -
