Seven months after a thrilling first fight, the 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 21st at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, live on DAZN PPV.
The first Usyk vs Fury encounter was an instant classic, as Fury was in control of the first half of the fight, and Usyk looked dominant down the stretch. The highly anticipated rematch is set for this upcoming Saturday, as Usyk is looking for a repeat, and Fury is seeking redemption. December 1, 2018, marked the start of what would turn out to be a very entertaining trilogy between Tyson Fury and the hard-hitting 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.
After the trilogy with Wilder, Fury went on to stop both Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora. In October 2023, Fury had a lackluster performance as he defeated former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou via split decision. Seven months after the Ngannou fight, Fury stepped inside the ring to participate 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 way of a unanimous decision.
The former king of the cruiserweights would go on to face the unified world heavyweight champion. On the night of September 25, 2021, Oleksandr Usyk outboxed Anthony Joshua and won the world title fight via unanimous decision. With the victory, Usyk became the new WBA, WBO, and IBF world heavyweight champion.
Eleven months later, a man who’s considered to be one of the best heavyweights of this era, Anthony Joshua, got his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua made the adjustments to make the rematch more competitive, but Usyk was still able to come away with the split-decision victory.
Oleksandr Usyk would go on to make a second successful defense of his unified title by stopping Daniel Dubois in the 9th round. Next on Usyk’s agenda was a match against another heavyweight who is considered to be one of the best of this era.
On the night of May 18, 2024, in a battle for the undisputed world heavyweight crown, the 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 stayed on the front foot, slipping from side to side and landing both the jab and left to the body.
For the majority 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 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, slipping from side to side, applying both physical and mental pressure. Late in round 9, Usyk landed a hard left-hand shot that wobbled Fury. Usyk proceeded to land a flurry of shots as Fury staggered around the ring until he finally went 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 by way of a 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 bout.
Tyson Fury is the key to the rematch because he’s the man who has to make the adjustments. In the first half of the first fight, Fury was boxing well off the back foot until he made a critical error. So the question is, will Fury attempt to duplicate his performance with the omittance of the error, or will he fight off 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. With that being said, on December 21st, when Usyk and Fury face each other for a second time, will it be a repeat or redemption?
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