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Seven months after an exciting first fight, the one-time world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) will defend his WBC, WBA and WBO titles against Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) on Saturday, December 21 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, live on DAZN PPV.
The first meeting between Usyk and Fury was an instant classic, as Fury controlled the first half of the fight and Usyk looked dominant until the end. The long-awaited rematch is set for this coming Saturday, as Usyk looks for a repeat and Fury looks for redemption. December 1, 2018 marked the start of what would prove to be a very entertaining trilogy between Tyson Fury and hard-nosed WBC champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder. In the first fight, Wilder’s power was on display as he scored a knockdown in the 9th round.
In the 12th and final round, Deontay Wilder landed a two-three combination that appeared to knock Tyson Fury out cold. After the referee’s count reached 6, Fury jumped out like WWE wrestler ‘The Undertaker’. Wilder scored two knockdowns, but Fury outboxed Wilder in most of the other rounds.
At the end of the 12-round contest, the fight was declared a split decision. Fury and Wilder would meet two additional times as Fury was able to come away with two convincing victories.
After the trilogy with Wilder, Fury went on to stop both Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora. In October 2023, Fury had a poor performance defeating former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou by split decision. Seven months after his fight with Ngannou, Fury entered the ring to take part in a historic battle.
After dominating the cruiserweight division, Oleksandr Usyk made his heavyweight debut back in October 2019 when he stopped Chazz Witherspoon in the 7th round. A year later, Usyk defeated Derek Chisora by unanimous decision.
The former cruiserweight king will go on to face the unique heavyweight champion of the world. On the night of September 25, 2021, Oleksandr Usyk outboxed Anthony Joshua and won the world title fight by unanimous decision. With the victory, Usyk became the new WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight world champion.
Eleven months later, the man considered one of the best heavyweights of this era, Anthony Joshua, got a rematch against Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua made adjustments to make the rematch more competitive, but Usyk still managed to get a split decision victory.
Oleksandr Usyk would go on to make a second successful defense of his unique title by stopping Daniel Dubois in the 9th round. Next on Usyk’s agenda was a match against another heavyweight who is considered one of the best of this era.
On the night of May 18, 2024, in a fight for the undisputed world heavyweight crown, WBC champion Tyson Fury got off to a good start by staying on the outside, using his feints and hitting consistently. In round #2, Usyk stayed on the front foot, sliding from side to side and landing both jabs and lefts to the body.
For most of the first half of the fight, Usyk was the aggressor, but Fury did a good job of controlling the range and boxing on the back foot. After landing solid shots to Usyk’s body, Fury ended the sixth round by connecting with a sharp uppercut that hurt Usyk.
During the second half of the fight, the southpaw Usyk continued to press forward, sliding from side to side, applying physical and mental pressure. Late in the 9th round, Usyk landed a powerful left hand that rocked Fury. Usyk continued with a flurry of shots as Fury staggered around the ring until he finally went down.
Fury survived the knockdown, but later Usyk was the stronger and more active fighter. At the end of the 12-round contest, Oleksandr Usyk won by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999.
Usyk also accomplished the feat of winning the undisputed crown in two divisions. A few weeks after his historic victory, Usyk was stripped of his IBF title. Now his rematch against Tyson Fury is a unified world title fight.
Tyson Fury is the key to the rematch because he is a man who has to adapt. In the first half of the first fight, Fury was boxing well from the feet until he made a critical mistake. So the question is, will Fury try to repeat his performance by omitting the error or will he fight on the front foot and be the aggressor?
Oleksandr Usyk is a matchup nightmare due to the fact that he has superior boxing skills, footwork and IQ in the ring. His opponent, Tyson Fury, is a master at making the necessary adjustments. That said, on December 21st, when Usyk and Fury face off for the second time, will it be a repeat or redemption?
