On Saturday, February 17, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will fight in the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Two heavyweight champions who have never lost will compete for the uncontested championship in this match.
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WBC heavyweight champion Fury, a British boxer (33-0-1, 24 KOs), is the current champion. The current undisputed heavyweight champion of the WBA, WBO, and IBF is Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) of Ukraine. Both the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years and the first in the four-belt era will be crowned winners of the fight.
After their first bout in March ended in a split draw, Lennox Lewis made headlines when he defeated Evander Holyfield by unanimous decision in their instant rematch in November 1999. He won the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles all at once.
In October, Fury faced former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in a non-title bout and lost on a split decision. The 35-year-old Manchester native stopped Derek Chisora in the tenth round of their rematch to win the WBC heavyweight title in his most recent championship fight to date.
During a London news conference to kick off the fight, Tyson Fury stated, “I’ve been in many heavyweight title fights before.” The most crucial one is right now. Neither of us has lost yet. Both of us are champions: me and him. It’s going to be a struggle that will live in history.
The last time we had an unchallenged heavyweight world champion was 24 years ago. We also know that the Klitschkos won championships for roughly a decade. So other heavyweights were unable to stop it for a another fourteen years. Thus, we’ve been picked. And I think that here is where we’re both meant to be. And I’m going to be the unquestioned champion, so I’m the only one who wins.
“We’re not here to converse. This isn’t a speech competition. It’s a bout of boxing. February 17 is the day when all the discussion stops. What I said or what he said is irrelevant. It all depends on the outcome of the battle. He believes he will prevail. I am confident in my victory. Not much else needs to be stated.
“I plan to talk more in the ring.”
In August, Usyk defeated Daniel Dubois by knockout in the ninth round of their fight in Wroclaw, Poland. The 36-year-old former undisputed cruiserweight champion of Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine, successfully defended his unified heavyweight titles for the second time.
“I’m thrilled to be here,” Oleksandr Usyk remarked. “I want to thank all of you. I’ll talk more inside the ring.
“I want to share a story about David and Goliath that bears a lot of similarities to our story with Tyson. I’ll do my job when the Lord gives me Tyson in my hands.
Information about the fights on the undercard of Fury vs. Usyk and the broadcast is anticipated to be released soon.
The event will stream live in Australia on Sunday, February 18.
