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EXPLAINER
Here’s everything you need to know about the heavyweight title unifying fight in Riyadh.
Published On 16 May 2024
The long-anticipated world heavyweight title unifying fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk is to take place in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Fury, the 35-year-old British WBC champion, and his 37-year-old Ukrainian counterpart, Usyk – who holds the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts – will lock horns over 12 rounds in the Ring of Fire boxing event in Riyadh.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the clash:
What are the pre-fight events?
Building up to the match, the weigh-in will take place on Friday at 9pm (18:00 GMT).
The undercard event will begin on Saturday at 7pm (16:00 GMT).
When is the Usyk-Fury ring walk and fight?
Usyk and Fury will be starting their ring walks for the main event at 1am local time on Sunday (22:00 GMT on Saturday).
The fight will start shortly afterwards.
Where is the Usyk-Fury fight taking place?
The venue for the match is Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia’s capital.
FOR THE THRONE 👑
Usyk 🆚 Fury
Undisputed Heavyweight Championship 🏆
Who’s your favorite? @RiyadhSeason #Boxing #Boxeo #WBA #WBABoxing pic.twitter.com/DOe4FyYRHs
— WBA Boxing (@WBABoxing) May 14, 2024
Who is Tyson Fury?
Fury is a two-time heavyweight world champion and has been a professional boxer since 2008. The Manchester-born fighter stands 2.06 metres (6ft, 9 inches) tall with a record of 34 wins, 24 by knockout, and no defeats (34-0-1, 24 KOs). He has held the WBC heavyweight title since 2020.
Who is Oleksandr Usyk?
Usyk, who is also undefeated, is an Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine who has fought and won 21 matches (21-0, 14 KOs). He currently holds the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight belts. The 1.9-metre (6ft, 3 inch) tall fighter has spent time on patrol at home during Russia’s war on Ukraine.
What titles are Fury and Usyk fighting for?
This is the first undisputed world heavyweight title championship since 1999 when Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield.
Fury and Usyk are fighting for the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF titles.
The WBC presents Commemorative #FuryUsyk Belt
One side of the belt features the colors of the British flag, while the other side displays the colors of the Ukrainian flag.#RiyadhSeason Presents:
🔥Ring of Fire🔥
Exclusively in @daznboxing ⁰
Subscribe: https:/DAZN.com/WBC pic.twitter.com/hhdJlSXeXU
— World Boxing Council (@WBCBoxing) May 14, 2024
Where can I follow the fight live?
Al Jazeera will run a live page for build-up and text commentary of the fight.
The fight will be streamed and broadcast live on multiple regional platforms that are charging pay-per-view fees.
Who is on the undercards?
- Jai Opetaia vs Mairis Briedis – for vacant IBF cruiserweight title
- Joe Cordina vs Anthony Kakache
- Mark Chamberlain vs Joshua Oluwaseun Wahab
- Sergey Kovalev vs Robin Safar
- Isaac Lowe vs Hasibullah Ahmadi
- David Nika vs Michael Seitz
- Moses Itauma vs Ilja Mezencev
- Agit Kabayel vs Frank Sanchez
What is the fight purse?
The final prize money has not been revealed and will be known only after the fight, but Fury’s promoter Bob Arum has suggested the British champ will bag more than $100m, about 70 percent of the purse.
Is Fury on crutches?
On Monday, Fury was spotted on crutches. Turns out, the British boxer was just pulling a prank and does not actually need to use them. The Fury vs Usyk match was initially scheduled for February but was postponed after Fury sustained a cut over his eye during a sparring session.
