Tomorrow night, Saturday May 18, 2024, the undefeated Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will challenge the Ukrainian, multiple-belt holder Oleksandr Usyk at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. With four coveted belts at stake, this titanic fisticuffs is more than just a unification of titles – it’s a gladiator match of unparalleled proportions.
For those watching in the UAE, the fight is available on DAZN and begins at 8pm.
Update: Oleksandr Usyk defeats Tyson Fury! Scroll down for highlight video and more information.
Firstly, let’s talk about Fury’s recent outing against a guy who, for his first ever boxing match, arguably beat the Gipsy King, if not for making him look aggressively average, this man being Francis Ngannou. Sure, he is the former UFC heavyweight champion and proud owner of one of, if not the heaviest, recorded punch in human history. In the UFC octagon, Ngannou effortlessly gave many a man a VIP pass to the realm of unconsciousness. But against arguably the best heavyweight of all time? Considering that Tyson is undefeated and self proclaimed best boxer of all time (a statement echoed by many), that performance was anything but solidifying of such a claim.
Not long after that exposing performance, Anthony Joshua faced the Ngannou and did exactly what people expected Tyson to do to the former UFC champ: after two immediate knockdowns, he laid Ngannou out cold in the second round in a contest so uneven it was almost hard to watch. So, leading up to tomorrow, one can only wonder what was up with Tyson during his fight with Ngannou. Overconfidence? Arrogance? Boredom? Or is he simply not as good anymore? Being 35 isn’t old, but in fighting sports, you’re one punch away from receiving your gold retirement watch. Tyson has never lost, but he’s relented his title in the past due to company disputes and mental health issues, so perhaps it was just a bad day at the office. Either way, the pressure is undoubtedly on Fury in this fight. And having your dad skulling dudes at the Hilton in Riyadh leading up to the fight may or may not add any additional pressure, if not embarrassment. Then again, I don’t imagine embarrassment is a term anyone in the Fury household is familiar with.
Then we have Usyk. Naturally, Usyk is a cruiserweight, and has gone up in weight to fight the towering Brit. Not knocking Usyk’s heavyweight prowess, Anthony Joshua found that out the hard way (twice), but there will be a significant size disadvantage for the Ukrainian in terms of height, weight, and reach. Considering Fury’s resume, most of it hangs on his victories over Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder, though the latter was nearly a decade ago.
If Fury loses, it doesn’t erase his impressively storied career, but it does remove him from the conversation of GOAT of which he so desperately wants to be apart. Oleksandr Usyk has been counted out many times before, but as his flawless 21-0 record shows, such predictions continue to be disproven. Due to the star power surrounding Fury, along with his meme-like credibility and continuous sound bites, he is the undeniable superstar leading up to this fight, but David & Goliath isn’t as legendary a folklore for no reason.
It’s all on the line in Saudi.
Full Undercard
- Jai Opetaia v Mairis Briedis (for vacant IBF cruiserweight title)
- Joe Cordina v Anthony Cacace (for Cordina’s IBF super featherweight title)
- Frank Sanchez v Agit Kabayel (heavyweight)
- Moses Itauma v Ilija Mezencev (heavyweight)
- Mark Chamberlain v Joshua Wahab (lightweight)
- Sergey Kovalev v Robin Sirawn Safar (light-heavyweight)
- Daniel Lapin vs. Octavio Pudivtr (light-heavyweight)
- David Nyika vs. Michael Seitz (cruiserweight)
- Isaac Lowe vs. Hasibullah Ahmadi (featherweight)
Oleksandr Usyk defeats Tyson Fury via split decision.
He did the previously impossible, solving the unsolvable puzzle, becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Tyson Fury said, post fight, “the judges sided with Usyk because of the war in Ukraine. Make no mistake, I’ve won that fight in my opinion, and I’ll be back. We’ve got a rematch clause.”
Usyk claimed a split decision 115-112 and 114-113 on two scorecards, with the third judge seeing it as 114-113 against the towering Gypsy King.
Is Fury just a poor loser or does he have a point?
