- Who: Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk
- when: Saturday, May 18, 2024 – Main event at approximately 1:00 PM local time (22:00 GMT)
- where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Professional Records (WLD): Fury (34-0-1), Usyk (21-0-0)
- Knockout win: Fury (24), Usyk (14)
- height: Fury – 206cm (6ft 9in), Usyk – 190cm (6ft 3in)
- arrival: Fury – 216cm (85 inches) Usyk – 197cm (78 inches)
- Follow the fight live: Al Jazeera will run a live page with build-up and text commentary for the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight from 6pm on Saturday, May 18th, Japan time.
riyadh, saudi arabia – In the days leading up to their undisputed heavyweight title fight, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are trying to relax and enjoy the opportunity, despite both sides provoking and clashing with each other. It looked like.
The biggest drama came earlier in the week, when Fury's father John headbutted a member of Usyk's entourage. But both fighters remained friendly throughout the build-up, teasing each other in a good-natured way and flashing their grins during public practice.
But on a scorching Thursday night in Riyadh, as the undefeated fighters gathered for the final press conference before Saturday's bout, the weight of the moment seemed to be closing in and both men spoke curtly. Made it hard.
Sitting across from them in the front row of a sweaty crowd of journalists, entourages and VIP guests were gray-bearded Lennox Lewis, 58, and Evander Holyfield, 61. Lewis defeated Holyfield in 1999 to become 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,” he said.
Fury, who wears a flame-colored suit and a black trilby hat, is usually a talkative and flamboyant person known for his trash talk. But the 35-year-old British boxer also said little on Thursday.
“I'm ready. There's nothing to say other than I'm ready to put up a good fight,” he said.
When asked if he had a message for Usyk, he added, “God bless you.” “I will pray for him before the match so that we both get out of the ring safely.”
Boxing has long frustrated fans by producing multiple champions at the same weight with different belts and sanctioning bodies, but fights over money and clashes of egos often occur, and the best fighters compete against each other in their primes. It is often prevented from doing so.
Fury vs. Usyk took a while to happen, being postponed from its original February date due to Fury's training break, but the fact that a fight of this magnitude is finally happening is partially due to the fact that a fight of this magnitude is finally happening. This is the result of Saudi Arabia's growing influence. That said, many are touting this fight as the fight of the century, with the winner joining the ranks of the all-time greats.
On Thursday, chants by rival fans quickly died down in the sweltering night as locals watched in silence. Spotlights illuminated swirling dust, a drone whirred overhead, and gusts of wind lashed microphones on stage.
The press conference moderator tried unsuccessfully to elicit more words from the fighters. During the traditional showdown, Fury refused to even look at his rival, flexing his biceps and staring at the crowd, while Usyk stared at Fury with a smile on his lips.
“[This fight is] It has monumental importance for the history of the heavyweight division, for the value of boxing,” martial arts 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 find out. And they're going to find out about the most historic weight class in boxing.”
how they match
Fury basically fights with an orthodox stance, but he is a giant who became the heavyweight champion for the first time by defeating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
'The Gypsy King' has since battled serious mental health issues and weight gain, but has returned from several years in the wilderness to dethrone knockout artist Deontay Wilder in a thrilling trilogy. They defeated him twice (one match was a draw) and won to retain the title. WBC belt.
Fury overcame a scare in his last bout against mixed martial arts (MMA) star and novice professional boxer Francis Ngannou, rising from the floor en route to a split decision victory for the Gypsy King.
Usyk, a master technician and Olympic gold medalist who usually fights as a southpaw, moved up to heavyweight after conquering the cruiserweight division as unified champion. He made his heavyweight debut in 2019 and won the WBA, WBO, and IBF heavyweight belts in 2021, outpacing the much larger Anthony Joshua, who Usyk has now defeated twice.
Usyk stopped Daniel Dubois in nine rounds in his last fight, but it wasn't a completely comfortable match for the Ukrainian who suffered several injuries.
size and speed
Martial arts commentator Sean Wheelock warned against taking too much from recent fights.
“For me, this is a very even fight between two incredibly talented heavyweights,” Wheelock told Al Jazeera.
“I think Fury definitely relies more on his power punches. He has incredible power when his timing is right. Usyk obviously has power as well, and Usyk thinks he's a little more technical and slick. I think it shows that he can be a boxer.”
Fury will no doubt look to make the most of his big size. He could use his reach to try to maintain distance and control, and in the clinch he could choke Usyk, rough him up, lean in and try to drain him of his health.
“Obviously, if Fury wants to play an inside game and make weight, he's going to start looking at the referee,” Wheelock said.
“Are you being warned for excessive holding? How quickly does the umpire break it up? And even world-class umpires are willing to act differently in those situations.”
Usyk's fighting nickname is “Cat” due to his speed and agility. His head movement and quick feet make him difficult to attack, and his excellent footwork creates angles and cuts through the ring, tormenting and tiring his opponents. His movement also provides leverage for powerful counters while avoiding shots.
But Usyk doesn't just have to overcome Fury's size advantage. The Gypsy King is also experienced, has excellent ringcraft, is full of feints, and is elusive for such a huge man. Fury also has exceptional stamina, dropped a significant amount of weight for this fight and has incredible resilience – he was defeated several times by Wilder, currently the most devastating puncher in boxing. However, Fury's extensive scar tissue can be cut open so there is always a risk of damage – rising from a knockdown.
Fury can fight southpaw and may change his stance to counter Usyk's awkward style. The two trained in opposite stances during Wednesday night's open training session.
Usyk's main weakness may be shots to the body. He fell to a low blow in his last fight with Dubois, but was also plagued by legal body shots.
In the lead-up to the fight, Fury called Usyk an “ugly little man,” “rabbit” and “sausage” but also expressed his respect for the Ukrainian and said it would be the toughest fight of his career.
“He's a bad guy,” Fury said, commenting on Usyk's boxing skills.
Wisk doesn't seem to care about what Fury has to say, saying the Ukrainian will have his say in the ring, but Fury's apparent weight loss suggests the British fighter is “afraid” of him. He said it was suggested.
Thomas couldn't say who he thought would show up with their hand raised.
“Fury looks like the best heavyweight of his generation,” he said.
“But every fighter Usyk beat at heavyweight was bigger than him. He's the unifier at cruiserweight and seems like a super special talent…his boxing IQ is off the charts. Who will win? I really don’t know.”
form guide
Fury's last 5 fights:
- October 28, 2023: vs. Ngannou (Fury wins split decision 96-93, 94-95, 95-94)
- December 3, 2022: vs Derek Chisora III (Fury wins by TKO in the 10th round)
- April 23, 2022: vs. Dillian Whyte (Fury wins by 6th round TKO)
- October 9, 2021: vs Wilder III (Fury won by KO in the 11th round)
- February 22, 2020: vs. Wilder II (Fury wins by TKO in the 7th round)
Usyk's last 5 games:
- August 26, 2023: vs. Dubois (Usyk wins after 9 rounds of suspension)
- 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 (Usyk unanimous victory 117-112, 115-113, 115-113)
- October 12, 2019: vs. Chazz Witherspoon (Usyk wins as Witherspoon retires after 7 rounds)
Undercard
- Jay 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 Silwan Safar – Cruiserweight
- Isaac Lowe vs Hasibullah Ahmadi – Featherweight
- David Nyka vs Michael Seitz – Cruiserweight
- Moses Itauma vs Ilya Mezenchev – Heavyweight
- Ajit Kabayel vs Frank Sanchez – Heavyweight
