In May, Oleksandr Usyk completed his mission, defeating Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the modern four-belt era. On Saturday in Saudi Arabia, Usyk will look for a repeat performance when he rematches Fury, this time with three world titles on the line.
Usyk was stripped of the IBF championship for moving ahead with his contractually obligated rematch with Fury, though the lack of one of the four world titles from the first meeting has done nothing to diminish the excitement or importance of this rematch.
The first meeting was the first time Fury had suffered defeat as a professional, having gone undefeated across 35 previous bouts that also saw him twice reign as world champion. Fury started that fight well, using his size and reach to keep the much smaller Usyk at range. Fury was so comfortable in the early rounds that he repeatedly danced and showboated, seemingly feeling he had the fight in hand.
Usyk was able to make the necessary adjustments as the fight wore on and not only started to successfully use his boxing skills, but also scored a knockdown in Round 9. A perfect left hook landed on Fury and the following flurry from Usyk sent Fury's 6-foot-9 frame stumbling into the corner where it was ruled the ropes had held him up and thus counted as a knockdown.
That knockdown was the difference between a split decision win for Usyk and a split draw, with one judge scoring the fight 114-113 Fury and two turning in Usyk scores of 115-112 and 114-113. Without the knockdown making for a 10-8 Usyk ninth round, that third card would have been 114-114.
"I've got nothing to say apart from there's going to be a whole lot of hurt and pain in this fight, you watch," Fury said. "The talking's been done. The first fight, I talked, I joked, all my career. This time I'm serious, I'm going to do some damage here on Saturday night. Watch me go to work."
Usyk's win ran his career record to 22-0. More impressive than his spotless record, Usyk has managed to go undisputed at two different weight classes.
"Now we just have the performance. Talks, cameras, lights, kind of show. Everything is going to be taking place Saturday night on the 21st," Usyk said at the final press conference. "Don't be afraid. I will not leave you alone. See you on Saturday."
Usyk ran through the cruiserweight division before winning the World Boxing Super Series in 2018 to unify all four world titles at 200 pounds. In October 2019, Usyk made the move to heavyweight with a win over Chazz Witherspoon. Two fights later, he'd defeated Anthony Joshua to capture the IBF, WBO and WBA heavyweight titles.
"I'm not going to talk about great fights and great fighters because it will be a great fight, and these are great fighters. I'm not only Tyson Fury's co-promoter, I am also a Tyson Fury fan. If anyone watched the second Wilder fight, Tyson knew what he had to do and won that fight in a real one-sided way," Top Rank CEO Bob Arum said. "I'm looking forward to him fighting in that way again, and being successful on Saturday night. That being said, he's fighting a tough, skilled Ukrainian. Personally, like many Americans, I am so proud of his people, how hard they have been fighting, and what they have been accomplishing. Oleksandr Usyk typifies the strength of Ukraine, but on Saturday night he's fighting one of the best heavyweights of all time, Tyson Fury. I'm very confident that our man Tyson will emerge victorious."
Now the two meet again with legacy on the line. Can Fury make the necessary adjustments to maintain his early momentum from the first fight or will Usyk again conquer the giant and prove his place atop the heavyweight division?
The undercard was set to feature a solid matchup between Serhii Bohachuk and Israil Madrimov at junior middleweight. Unfortunately, Madrimov was forced to withdraw from the bout after suffering from bronchitis during training camp. His next appearance is expected to be on the Feb. 22 card featuring Artur Beterbev vs. Dmitry Bivol 2 in the main event where he will face another top contender in Vergil Ortiz.
Instead, Bohachuk will take on Ismael Davis. Elsewhere on the card, more heavyweights give support to the main event. Rising teenage phenom Moses Itauma is back in action when he takes on veteran Demsey McKean. The 19-year-old has thrilled in his early career, scoring eight knockouts in 10 professional fights. His last was most impressive when he stopped veteran Mariusz Wach in the second round in July. He gets a durable veteran in McKean, who is coming off the first defeat of his pro career when he was stopped by Filip Hrgovic in August.
Let's take a closer look at the rest of the undercard before getting to a prediction and expert pick on the main event.
Usyk vs. Fury 2 fight card, odds
- Oleksandr Usyk (c) -140 vs. Tyson Fury +110, unified heavyweight titles
- Serhii Bohachuk -950 vs. Ismael Davis +600, junior middleweight
- Moses Itauma -1400 vs. Demsey McKean +750, heavyweights
- Johnny Fisher -1400 vs. Dave Allen +700, heavyweights
- Peter McGrail -450 vs. Rhys Edwards +320, junior featherweights
- Lee McGregor -190 vs. Isaac Lowe +150, featherweights
Where to watch Usyk vs. Fury 2
- Date: Dec. 21
- Location: Kingdom Arena -- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Start time: 10 a.m. ET
- How to watch: DAZN PPV (Price: $39.99)
Prediction
The image of Fury reeling along the ropes as Usyk was on the verge of scoring a stoppage is hard to shake from one's mind. Usyk was so good over the second half of the fight that it erased what was a tremendous early showing from Fury. What Fury needs to manage is to build that momentum without letting Usyk ever get comfortable. The biggest question heading into Saturday is whether Fury has developed a gameplan that can throw Usyk off, since Usyk figured out Fury midway through the first fight and never looked back.
Fury has supposedly devoted himself to the craft in new and intense ways ahead of his second shot at Usyk. Still, it's hard to think that Fury can develop wrinkles a fighter of Usyk's skills can't adjust to. Expect a fight that might not be as thrilling as the first meeting, but that still produces some drama before Usyk again pulls away in the second half to retain his titles. Pick: Oleksandr Usyk via UD
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