Seven months after an exciting first fight, unified 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 Usyk vs. Fury matchup was an instant classic, as Fury was in control for the first half of the fight, and Usyk looked dominant down the stretch. The highly anticipated rematch is set for next Saturday, as Usyk looks for a repeat, and Fury looks for redemption. December 1, 2018, marked the beginning of what would become a very entertaining trilogy between Tyson Fury and WBC champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder. In the first bout, 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 out Tyson Fury. Once the referee’s count reached 6, Fury appeared as the WWE wrestler “The Undertaker”. Wilder scored both knockdowns, but Fury outboxed Wilder in most of the other rounds.
At the conclusion of the 12-round contest, the bout was declared a split-decision draw. Fury and Wilder crossed paths twice more, as Fury was able to come away with two convincing wins.
After the trilogy with Wilder, Fury went on to stop Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora. In October 2023, Fury had a poor performance as he defeated former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou by split decision. Seven months after the Ngannou fight, Fury entered the ring to take part in a historic battle.
After dominating the cruiserweight division, Oleksandr Usyk made his heavyweight debut in October 2019 when he stopped Chazz Witherspoon in the 7th round. A year later, Usyk defeated Derek Chisora by unanimous decision.
The former king of the cruiserweights was going to face the unified world heavyweight champion. On the night of September 25, 2021, Oleksandr Usyk knocked out Anthony Joshua and won the world title fight by unanimous decision. With the victory, Usyk became the new WBA, WBO and IBF world champion.
Eleven months later, a man who is considered one of the best heavyweights of this era, Anthony Joshua, had his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua made adjustments to make the rematch more competitive, but Usyk was still able to come away with the split decision win.
Oleksandr Usyk continues to make a second successful defense of his unified title, 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 battle for the undisputed world heavyweight crown, WBC champion Tyson Fury got off to a good start as he stayed on the outside, used his feints, and consistently landed the jab. In round number 2, Usyk was on the front foot, slipping from one side to the other and landing both the jab and left 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 off the 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, slipping from one side to the other, applying physical and mental pressure. Late in round 9, Usyk landed a hard left hand that staggered Fury. Usyk lands a flurry of punches as Fury staggers around the ring until he finally goes down.
Fury survived the knockdown, but down the stretch, Usyk was the stronger and more active fighter. At the conclusion of the 12-round contest, Oleksandr Usyk won via split decision and became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999.
Usyk also accomplished the feat of winning the undisputed crown in two divisions. Weeks after his historic victory, Usyk was stripped of the 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 the man who has to make the adjustments. In the first half of the first fight, Fury boxed well from the back foot until he made a critical error. So the question is, will Fury try to duplicate his performance by omitting the mistake, 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 elite level boxing skills, footwork and ring IQ. His opponent, Tyson Fury, is a master when it comes to making the necessary adjustments. That being said, on December 21st, when Usyk and Fury meet for a second time, will it be a repeat or a redemption?
