Lucas Jones
The undisputed heavyweight showdown is back. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will meet on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia with all four recognized titles in the heavyweight division on the line. The fight was scheduled for February, but a cut suffered by Fury in training camp delayed the fight by three months. The teams arrived in the Middle East ready to finally decide who really is the best heavyweight in the world.
Things got off to a tense start during fight week when Tyson Fury’s father, “Big” John Fury, headbutted a member of Usyk’s team. John Fury was visibly bloodied on his forehead after the act and the tension increased. The member of Usyk’s team seemed to take it all in stride and things cooled down from that perspective, but both fighters are prepared to fight each other all week. Things got physical at Friday’s weigh-in when Fury pressed his forehead to Usyk’s before a shove forced the teams apart.
Both men enter the fight coming off scares in their 2023 campaigns, with Usyk being taken down by Daniel Dubois only for the referee to rule it a low kick and allow Usyk time to recover. He then stopped Dubois in the 9th round.
Fury was forced into a much more difficult situation in October when his unbeaten record narrowly survived a fight with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Ngannou scored a knockdown and did enough to win several rounds, although Fury ultimately scored a split decision victory. Although Fury’s title wasn’t on the line, a loss would have been even more embarrassing than narrowly escaping with a victory in a fight he was expected to dominate.
“I’ll keep it short and simple. I want to thank God for the victory I’ve already received. And I want to thank everyone involved for putting on this great event,” Fury said at the final press conference. “I want to thank Usyk for showing up and challenging me. And that’s it. Thank you to all the fans who traveled to support me because I know it’s tough times right now and money is tough. So I plan to put on a show.”
Below is the full fight card for Fury vs. Usyk along with the latest odds. Check back for the latest news, features and other content about this great event.
Fury vs. Usyk, odds
- Oleksandr Usyk (c) -115 vs. Tyson Fury (c) -105, undisputed heavyweight championship
- Jai Opetaia -600 vs. Mairis Briedis +400, IBF cruiserweight championship vacant
- Joe Cordina (c) -450 vs. Anthony Cacace +350, IBF super featherweight championship
- Frank Sanchez -250 vs. Agit Kabayel +180, heavyweights
- Mark Chamberlain -1400 vs. Joshua Oluwaseun Wahab +750, lightweight
- Sergey Kovalev x Robin Sirwan Safar, light heavyweight
- Isaac Lowe x Hasibullah Ahmadi, featherweight
- David Nyika x Michael Seitz, cruiserweights
- Moses Itauma x Ilja Mezencev, heavyweights
Viewing information
- Date: May 18
- Location: Kingdom Arena – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Start time: Noon ET
- How to watch: DAZN and ESPN+ PPV | Price: $69.99
Countdown
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