Lucas Jones
Oleksandr Usyk has the chance to make the leap from one of boxing’s dominant champions to one of its biggest stars on Saturday when he faces Tyson Fury for the unified heavyweight championship. The 12-round clash will anchor the main card of the Fury vs. Usyk (2 p.m. ET) at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Usyk is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, former unified cruiserweight champion and currently holds three of the four major heavyweight belts. However, he is still relatively unknown outside of boxing’s most dedicated fans. But Usyk will certainly see his profile soar if he ends the championship reign of Fury, who has held part of the belt since November 2015.
Fury is the -130 favorite (risk $130 to win $100), while Usyk is +110 in the latest Tyson Fury vs. Tyson odds. The over/under for total rounds completed is 10.5, with the Over favored at -275. Before making any choice between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, be sure to see boxing predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Peter Kahn.
Kahn is a true boxing insider who is aware of what is happening inside and outside the ring. He has managed several world champions and currently manages 20 fighters through his company, Fight Game Advisors. Kahn won the 2022 Boxing Writers Association of America Cus D’Amato Manager of the Year Award and was inducted into the 2023 Florida Boxing Hall of Fame.
Kahn is strange when it comes to picking fights. He is an impressive 51-13 in his last 64 boxing picks at SportsLine, returning more than $4,000 to $100 bettors. His notable wins include telling SportsLine members to back underdog Ryan Garcia (+500) against previously undefeated super lightweight champion Devin Haney (-700) in their blockbuster fight in April. Anyone who has followed it has seen massive returns.
Now, with Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk on deck, Kahn has studied the matchup from every angle and released confident picks for the fight. You can only see these picks on SportsLine.
Tyson Fury vs.
Good news for Fury fans is that his physique suggests he is fit and prepared for the fight, which hasn’t always been the case throughout the week.
Earlier this week, Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) told the media he arrived at the venue weighing 19 stone, or 266 pounds. That’s about 12 pounds lighter than he weighed against Ngannou in a fight he narrowly escaped with a victory. Although Fury claimed to have trained seriously for Ngannou, he appeared out of shape, disinterested and more tired than his opponent as the fight progressed.
Fury’s current weight is about the same as what he maintained in his second and third fights with Wilder. After weighing in at about 256 for their first bout, he gained about 10 pounds of lean muscle mass to add some power to his punches and ended up being stopped in both fights.
“If you put ordinary men in front of me, I’m not going to be turned on. I’m definitely turned on by that. You put me on top of the world on a Las Vegas stage, I’ll be fine. I always do that,” Fury said.
If there is a psychological advantage based on fight preparation, it could be argued that Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) and his team, known for their stoicism and professionalism, have the edge over the abrasive Fury camp.
Although Tyson Fury is not known for trash-talking too much, he chooses his words carefully and makes statements designed to potentially distract his opponent. His father and manager, John Fury, is much less subtle and seems to thrive on creating chaos during fight week.
Perhaps the most extreme example of this occurred when the parties met for their first press conference this week. In a clip that went viral, the elder Fury ran up and headbutted a member of Usyk’s camp, although the recipient appeared to have done little to provoke the attack.
Normally, such a move would trigger an all-out brawl, but Usyk asked his team to simply stand aside, a move Usyk later said was intended to deprive the Rage camp of the chaos they apparently desired.
“Of course it’s disappointing in an event like this because it’s about discipline,” Usyk said. “I’m not disappointed in my team, they’re disappointed because I pulled them back and stopped them from fighting.” See who to support here.
How to make Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk
We can share that Kahn likes more than 10.5 rounds. He also decided on a proposed winning method with the most money and a confident money line choice. You can only see your picks and analysis on SportsLine.
Who beats Tyson Fury against Oleksandr Usyk and which method of victory is mandatory? Visit SportsLine now to see Peter Kahn’s best bets for Saturday, all from the boxing expert who netted his followers a profit of more than $4,000and find out.
