17-‘ May- 2024
The contest will decide the first undisputed heavyweight champ in nearly 25 years, with both fighters unbeaten as pros.
- Who: Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk
- When: Saturday, May 18, 2024 – main event at about 1pm local time (22:00 GMT)
- Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Professional records (W-L-D): Fury (34-0-1), Usyk (21-0-0)
- Wins by knockout: Fury (24), Usyk (14)
- Height: Fury – 206cm (6ft 9in), Usyk – 190cm (6ft 3in)
- Reach: Fury – 216cm (85in) Usyk – 197cm (78in)
- Follow the fight LIVE: Al Jazeera will run a live page for the build-up and text commentary of the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk fight from 18:00 GMT on Saturday, May 18.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – In the days leading up to their undisputed heavyweight title fight, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk seemed relaxed and eager to soak up the occasion, even as their camps taunted each other and clashed.
But on a baking hot Thursday evening in Riyadh, as the unbeaten fighters came together at the final news conference before the bout on Saturday, both grew terse and tight-lipped as the weight of the occasion seemed to press in.
Sitting opposite them, in the front row of a crowd of sweating journalists, entourages and VIP guests, was a grey-bearded Lennox Lewis, 58, and Evander Holyfield, 61. Lewis beat Holyfield in 1999 to become boxing’s last undisputed heavyweight champion
On stage, Usyk, 37, was wearing a black and white traditional Ukrainian sash.
“Let’s make history. Enough. Thanks very much,” he said.
Fury, who sported a flame-coloured suit and a black trilby hat, is normally a garrulous and flamboyant figure renowned for his trash talk. But the 35-year-old British boxer also had little to say on Thursday
I’m ready. I’ve got nothing else to say apart from I’m ready for a good fight,” he said.
“God bless him,” he added when asked if he had a message for Usyk. “I’ll say a prayer for him before the fight for us both to get out of the ring safely
Although Fury vs Usyk has taken some taken to materialise and was postponed from its original date in February after Fury suffered a cut in training, the fact that a bout of this magnitude is finally happening – partly a result of growing Saudi influence in the sport – means many are billing it as the fight of this century, with the winner stepping into the ranks of the all-time greats.
On Thursday, chants by rival fans quickly petered out into the sweltering night as locals looked on quietly. Drones fizzed overhead as spotlights illuminated swirling dust, and gusts of wind buffeted the microphones on stage
The host of the news conference tried and failed to draw more words from the fighters. When they stood for the traditional face-off, Fury refused to even look at his rival, flexing his biceps and gazing into the crowd, while Usyk stared at Fury intently, a smile playing on his lips.
“[This fight is] of monumental importance for the history of the heavyweight division, for boxing’s value,” combat sports analyst Luke Thomas told Al Jazeera a few days ahead of the fight.
“People always complain people don’t know who the champions are. Well, now they’re going to know. And they’re going to know in the most storied division in boxing.”
How they match up
Fury, who generally fights out of the orthodox stance, is a giant of a man who first became a heavyweight champion by beating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
The “Gypsy King” subsequently battled severe mental health issues and ballooning weight, but came back from years in the wilderness to dethrone knockout artist Deontay Wilder – beating him twice (one fight ended in a draw) in a thrilling trilogy to win and retain the WBC belt.
Fury survived a scare in his last fight against mixed martial arts (MMA) star – and novice professional boxer – Francis Ngannou, as the Gypsy King got up from being floored on his way to a split-decision win.
Usyk – a master technician and an Olympic gold medallist who usually fights southpaw – moved up to heavyweight after dominating the cruiserweight division as a unified champion. He made his heavyweight debut in 2019 and won the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight belts in 2021 – outclassing the much bigger Anthony Joshua, whom Usyk has now beaten twice.
In his last fight, Usyk stopped Daniel Dubois in the ninth round, but it was not a totally comfortable fight for the Ukrainian, who was hurt on a couple of occasions
