Lucas Jones
The biggest heavyweight clash in decades is set to take place on Saturday in Saudi Arabia, when WBC champion Tyson Fury takes on WBA, WBO and IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk in a fight to crown the division’s first undisputed champion. it was the four belts. It is a massive fight that will dominate the headlines and will have the full focus of the majority of those who shell out for pay-per-view.
Despite all the attention that Fury vs. Usyk will receive, there is still a solid undercard to support the main event. This is especially true when compared to other recent pay-per-view undercards that have been spectacularly underwhelming.
The Fury vs. Usyk features two world title fights, a major heavyweight clash of two rising contenders and the return of a former world champion.
Let’s take a look at what to watch on the Fury vs. Usyk.
Jai Opetaia vs Mairis Briedis, vacant IBF cruiserweight title
Chances: Opetaia -600, Briedis +400
Opetaia filled the void as the cruiserweight’s top fighter shortly after Usyk left the division, defeating Briedis in a July 2022 clash to capture the IBF title. That first encounter was a fantastic and bloody war that saw Briedis cut and his nose badly damaged, while Opetaia’s jaw was broken in two places. Opetaia picked up a competitive decision win and built on it with dominant performances against Jordan Thompson and Ellis Zorro.
Frustratingly, the IBF stripped Opetaia of the title before the Zorro fight, insisting on a mandatory defense against Briedis, despite Briedis being sidelined with an injury.
In addition to being a former IBF champion, Briedis previously held the WBC title, losing it to Usyk during the World Boxing Super Series in the 2018 semi-finals. His only losses are to Opetaia and Usyk, the best of the best in recent boxing history. division.
With Briedis 39 years old and having not fought since his 2022 clash with Opetaia, there is a risk that rust and age will affect his performance, which could be very dangerous against a man of Opetaia’s skills.
Frank Sanchez x Agit Kabayel, heavyweights
Chances: Sanchez -225, Kabayel +188
Sanchez has shown promise in the division for years, but his level of opposition has left a question mark over where he fits into the larger heavyweight picture. Although he has a few wins over some household names, Sanchez’s best win is probably still his October 2021 defeat over Efe Ajagba. Since then, Sanchez has fought five more times without really being tested.
Kabayel presents a much tougher test for Sanchez than his recent opponents. On the same card where Sanchez defeated Junior Fa in December, Kabayel defeated favorite Arslanbek Makhmudov. This was a huge victory for Kabayel after a career spent almost entirely fighting in Germany.
The real story here is that one of these two 31-year-olds will finally get a win that could put them in title contention. This could mean a future fight with the winner of Fury vs. Usyk, or it could be for the IBF title, which could soon become vacant if Fury and Usyk agree to go ahead with their planned rematch. The IBF said the upcoming rematch would force them to withdraw the winner as they would not be fulfilling their obligation to give the mandatory challenger a chance. Sanchez and Kabayel are currently ranked 6th and 7th respectively in the IBF rankings.
Joe Cordina (c) vs. Anthony Cacace, IBF super featherweight title
Chances: Cordina -450, Cacáce +350
Cordina won the IBF title in June 2022 with an absolutely violent knockout over Kenichi Ogawa in the second round. His time as champion wasn’t easy, but Cordina managed two tough victories, defeating Shavkat Rakhimov via split decision before taking a majority decision over Edward Vazquez.
Cacace is a slight step down in opponent level for Cordina, not quite on the level of Ogawa or Rakhimov. Still, after suffering a loss to Martin Ward in 2017, Cacace rattled off six consecutive victories to climb the rankings and have a chance to become world champion. He hasn’t been the most active fighter, stepping into the ring just once a year since 2021 and sitting out all of 2020, and with just seven stoppage wins in his career, Cacace doesn’t carry much power into his fights. But victories are worth the title shot and now Cacace needs to figure out how to overcome a fighter who is a proven champion with the ability to crush an opponent with a solid shot, as evidenced in the Ogawa fight.
Sergey Kovalev x Robin Sirwan Safar, cruiserweights
Chances: Safar -150, Kovalev +125
This fight is a mystery. Kovalev is a former multi-champion champion, including a stint as unified champion from when he defeated Bernard Hopkins in November 2014 to his first fight with Andre Ward in November 2016. Those fights were against men who have long been retired, which gives some evidence of how old Kovalev is entering the fight.
Kovalev, 41, has fought just once since being brutally knocked out by Canelo Alvarez in November 2019. In May 2022, Kovalev made his cruiserweight debut, defeating Tervel Pulev and has been sidelined ever since.
Safar has never faced an opponent as dangerous as a faded version of Kovalev, nor has he fought on a stage close to the one he will experience on Saturday. He is the youngest and has shown strength in his career, with 12 knockouts in his perfect 16-0 career. Whether he is just an opponent of a bigger name or whether he will emerge with considerable added value to his name will be resolved in a matter of days.
