- WHO: Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk
- When: Saturday, May 18, 2024: Main event at approximately 1 pm local time (22:00 GMT)
- Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Professional records (WLD): Fury (34-0-1), Usyk (21-0-0)
- Win by knockout: Fury (24), Usyk (14)
- Height: Fury: 206 cm (6 ft 9 in), Usyk: 190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
- Reach: Fury: 216 cm (85 in) Usyk: 197 cm (78 in)
- Follow the fight LIVE: Al Jazeera will publish a live page for build-up and text commentary for the fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk starting at 18:00 GMT on Saturday 18 May.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – In the days leading up to their fight for the undisputed heavyweight title, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk seemed relaxed and eager to seize the occasion, even as their sides taunted each other and clashed.
The biggest drama came earlier in the week, when Fury's father John head-butted a member of Usyk's entourage. But both fighters remained cheerful throughout the buildup, teasing each other in good humor, smiling and showing off in their open workouts.
But on a hot Thursday afternoon in Riyadh, as the undefeated fighters gathered for the final news conference before Saturday's fight, both became tense and tight-lipped as the weight of the occasion seemed to press on.
Sitting in front of them, in the front row of a crowd of sweating journalists, entourages and VIP guests, were gray-bearded Lennox Lewis, 58, and Evander Holyfield, 61. Lewis beat Holyfield in 1999 to become the boxing's last undisputed heavyweight champion.
On stage, Usyk, 37, wore a traditional black and white Ukrainian sash.
“Let's make history. Enough. Thank you very much,” she said.
Fury, who wore a flame-colored suit and a black fedora, is often a talkative and flamboyant figure known for his trash talk. But the 35-year-old British boxer didn't have much to say on Thursday either.
“I'm ready. I have nothing more to say other than I'm ready for a good fight,” he said.
“God bless him,” he added when asked if he had any message for Usyk. “I will pray for him before the fight so that we both leave the ring safely.”
Boxing has long frustrated fans with multiple belts and sanctioning bodies creating multiple champions at the same weights, and frequent disputes over money and competing egos often prevent top fighters from facing each other in their prime.
Although Fury vs Usyk took a while to come to fruition and was postponed from its original date in February after Fury suffered a cut in training, the fact that a fight of this magnitude is finally happening, partly as a result of the growing Saudi influence on the sport means it is considered by many to be the fight of this century, with the winner joining the ranks of all-time greats.
On Thursday, the chants of opposing fans quickly died away in the sweltering night as the locals watched in silence. Drones buzzed overhead as spotlights illuminated the swirling dust and gusts of wind hit microphones on stage.
The host of the press conference tried, without success, to get more words out of the combatants. When they showed up for the traditional showdown, Fury refused to even look at his rival, flexing his biceps and staring at the crowd, while Usyk stared at Fury intently, a smile on his lips.
“[This fight is] “It has monumental importance to the history of the heavyweight division, to the value of boxing,” combat sports analyst Luke Thomas told Al Jazeera a few days before the fight.
“People always complain that they don't know who the champions are. Well, now they're going to know. And they will know it in the most historic division in boxing.”
how they match
Fury, who usually fights from an orthodox stance, is a giant of a man who first became heavyweight champion by beating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
The “Gypsy King” subsequently battled serious mental health issues and weight gain, but returned after years in the wilderness to dethrone knockout artist Deontay Wilder, beating him twice (one fight ended in a draw) in a trilogy. exciting to win and retain the title. WBC belt.
Fury survived a scare in his latest fight against mixed martial arts (MMA) star and rookie professional boxer Francis Ngannou, as the Gypsy King rose from being knocked down on his way to a split decision victory.
Usyk, a master technician and Olympic gold medalist who typically fights southpaws, moved up to heavyweight after dominating the cruiserweight division as unified champion. He made his heavyweight debut in 2019 and won the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight belts in 2021, beating 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 completely comfortable fight for the Ukrainian, who was hurt a couple of times.
Size versus speed
Combat sports commentator Sean Wheelock warned against taking too much from his recent fights.
“To me, this is an extremely close fight between two incredibly talented heavyweights,” Wheelock told Al Jazeera.
“I think Fury definitely relies more on power punches, he has incredible power when he has the right timing. Usyk obviously has power as well, and I think Usyk often shows that he can be a little more technical and skilled fighter.”
Fury will surely look to make the most of his considerable size advantage. He could try to maintain and control distance with his reach, and he could try to smother, punch, brace, and drain Usyk in the clinch.
“Obviously, if Fury wants to play an inside game and be heavy, you start looking at the referee,” Wheelock said.
“Do they get warnings for excessive withholding? How quickly does the referee stop the match? And even world-class referees are willing to do things differently in that situation.”
Usyk's fighting nickname is “The Cat” due to his speed and agility; His head movement and quick feet make him difficult to hit, with his exceptional footwork creating angles, cutting the ring and tormenting and exhausting opponents. His movement also gives him the advantage of launching fast-paced counterattacks while he evades shots.
But Usyk won't just have to overcome Fury's size advantage; The Gypsy King is also very experienced, has great artistry in the ring, is full of feints and is elusive for such a huge man. Fury also has exceptional stamina, having lost a lot of weight for this fight, and has incredible recovery powers (he has gotten up from several knockdowns by Wilder, currently boxing's most devastating puncher), although there is always the risk of extensive scar tissue. Fury can be carved and opened.
Fury can fight the southpaw and could change his stance to counter Usyk's awkward style. The two trained in opposite stances in Wednesday night's outdoor workouts.
Usyk's main weakness may be body shots; Although he was knocked down by a low blow in his last fight against Dubois, he also had trouble with legal body shots.
While Fury has called Usyk an “ugly little man,” a “rabbit,” and a “sausage” in the buildup to the fight, he has also expressed respect for the Ukrainian and has said it will be the toughest fight of his career.
“He's a bad man,” Fury said when describing Usyk's boxing prowess.
Uysk doesn't seem to care what Fury says, and the Ukrainian usually says he will talk in the ring, but he has said that Fury's obvious weight loss suggests the British fighter is “afraid” of him.
Thomas couldn't say who he thought would come out with their hand raised.
“Fury seems to be the best generational heavyweight,” he said.
“But everyone Usyk has beaten at heavyweight was bigger than him. He was a unifier at cruiserweight, he seems like an ultra special talent…his boxing IQ is off the charts. “I really don't know who is going to win.”
forms guide
Fury's last five fights:
- October 28, 2023: vs Ngannou (Fury wins by split decision 96-93, 94-95, 95-94)
- December 3, 2022: vs Derek Chisora III (Fury wins via 10th round TKO)
- April 23, 2022: vs Dillian Whyte (Fury wins by TKO in the sixth round)
- October 9, 2021: vs Wilder III (Fury wins by KO in the 11th round)
- February 22, 2020: vs Wilder II (Fury wins by technical knockout in the seventh round)
Usyk's last five fights:
- August 26, 2023: vs. Dubois (Usyk wins with ninth-round stoppage)
- August 20, 2022: vs. Joshua II (Usyk wins by split decision 115-113, 113-115, 116-112)
- September 25, 2021: vs Joshua (Usyk unanimous victory 117-112, 116-112, 115-113)
- March 11, 2020: vs Chisora (unanimous victory for Usyk 117-112, 115-113, 115-113)
- October 12, 2019: vs Chazz Witherspoon (Usyk wins and Witherspoon retires after the seventh round)
Billboard
- Jai Opetaia vs Mairis Briedis – IBF cruiserweight title
- Joe Cordina vs Anthony Cacace – IBF super featherweight title
- Mark Chamberlain vs. Joshua Oluwaseun Wahab – Lightweight
- Sergey Kovalev vs. Robin Sirwan Safar – cruiserweight
- Isaac Lowe vs. Hasibullah Ahmadi – featherweight
- David Nyika vs. Michael Seitz – Cruiserweight
- Moses Itauma vs. Ilja Mezencev – heavyweight
- Agit Kabayel vs. Frank Sánchez – heavyweight
