Lucas Jones
Boxing will soon have its first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era. The long-awaited dream fight between undefeated heavyweights Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk takes place on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
WBC heavyweight champion Fury (34-0-1) stakes his title against Usyk’s (21-0) IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight belts. The winner will be the only boxer to hold all four major boxing heavyweight belts simultaneously. The outcome of Fury vs Usyk will raise new questions about how the winner compares to the undisputed heavyweight champions of the past such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Mike Tyson and Rocky Marciano.
“I predict someone’s ‘0’ will have to leave. And it will be that team there, unfortunately for them,” Fury said this week. “Oleksandr Usyk is a great fighter. Olympic gold medalist, world cruiserweight champion, world heavyweight champion. excellent Tyson Fury in my era. I’m really looking forward to Saturday night.”
Fury looks in fantastic shape but has a lot to prove after a disastrous split decision win against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in the latter’s professional boxing debut. Ngannou dropped an overweight Fury who looked shaky despite his vast experience. Usyk looked sharp in his most recent title defense, knocking out Daniel Dubois despite an early scare. Dubois landed a punch that knocked Usyk down. The referee ruled the hit a low blow, but detractors insist it should have been legal.
Two IBF championship fights are also on the card. Jai Opetaia is widely expected to regain the IBF cruiserweight title he vacated last year after the IBF denied his request for a voluntary defense against Ellis Zorro. He faces former three-time cruiserweight champion Mairis Briedis, looking to bounce back from a unanimous decision loss to Opetaia in July 2022. Undefeated IBF featherweight champion Joe Cordina faces Irishman Anthony Cacace, on a streak of six consecutive victories.
“I feel like a totally different version of myself now. I’ve turned it up a few notches. I’m 28 now, I’m entering my prime,” Opetaia said this week. “I feel like I’m the next generation of greatness. I look around and I see greatness everywhere. And I’m honored to be in front of them, but now is my time. I feel like I’m the next generation of greatness, and I told the him that last fight.”
The action begins at noon ET on DAZN and ESPN+ pay-per-view. The full fight card with odds and full preview information is listed below.
Viewing information
- Date: May 18 | Location: Kingdom Arena – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Start time: Noon ET
- How to watch: DAZN PPV, ESPN PPV, PPV.com | Price: $69.99
Fury vs. Usyk, odds
| Tyson’s Fury (c) -115 | Oleksandr Usyk (c) -105 | Undisputed heavyweight title |
| Jai Opetaia -600 | Mairis Briedis +450 | IBF cruiserweight title |
| Frank Sanchez -225 | Agit Kabayel +188 | Heavy weight |
| Joe Cordina (c)-500 | António Cacace +400 | IBF super featherweight title |
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