Britain’s Tyson Fury (R) and Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk face off during a press conference ahead of … [+]
AFP via Getty Images
On Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will battle for the WBA, WBC, and WBO heavyweight championships in a rematch of their first meeting in May.
The fight week has already produced several major events, from the relaunch of Ring Magazine to memorable moments during fighter arrivals.
The ultimate moment will take place when the two all-time greats climb into the ring to square off again. Here’s how you can watch:
Date: Saturday, December 21
Time: 11 a.m. ET
Stream: DAZN PPV
Here is a look at the entire card scheduled for the Kingdom Arena:
- Oleksandr Usyk (c) vs. Tyson Fury
- Moses Itauma vs. Demsey McKean
- Johnny Fisher vs. Dave Allen
- Dennis McCann vs. Peter McGrail
- Isaac Lowe vs. Lee McGregor
In the first fight, Fury’s length and slickness seemed to give him an advantage. However, Usyk caught him with a huge right hand in the ninth. The punch sent Fury reeling from rope to rope before he was ruled down by referee Mark Nelson.
Usyk’s 10-8 round in the ninth and his control through the championship rounds led to a narrow split-decision win and a brief stint as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
Usyk was forced to vacate the IBF title because he agreed to the rematch—which will become a trilogy if Fury wins on Saturday. Daniel Dubois was elevated to IBF champion based on his win over Filip Hrgovic.
Dubois solidified his spot as the champion with a fifth-round KO win over Anthony Joshua in September. Dubois will now defend his title against Joseph Parker in Riyadh on February 22.
While he isn’t likely to wait around, if Dubois wins, he would be the natural choice to fight the man who comes out as the winner of the Fury-Usyk series. If Usyk wins again on Saturday, a rematch with Dubois seems likely if the latter successfully defends his title against Parker.
If Fury wins, there will be a third fight with Usyk later in the year to determine the winner of their trilogy.
The undercard of Usyk-Fury 2 is highlighted by two fast-rising young heavyweights. Moses Itauma, the 19-year-old power puncher who calls the UK home, will get arguably the biggest test of his young career when he faces Demsey McKean.
Itauma is 10-0 with 8 KOs and is coming off a second-round KO win over veteran Mariusz Wach in July. Itauma is currently ranked No. 10 by the WBA, and he could find a ranking in all four governing body lists with a win over McKean.
Likewise, another undefeated UK heavyweight, Johnny Fisher, will put his 12-0 record at stake when he squares off with David Allen. Most will be measuring to see if Itauma and Fisher present well.
Be on the lookout for coverage of the event on Saturday.