Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk finally meet in Riyadh on Saturday night as we’ll see an undisputed heavyweight champion of the world crowned.
After what feels like years of talk and back and forth, these two unbeaten stars will step into the ring this weekend to determine who will be the first undisputed heavyweight champion in a quarter of a century.
As expected, opinion is split on who will come out victorious as the stakes have never been higher for either man, and so it promises to be fascinating showdown between the pair amid the backdrop of mind games, over-zealous fight-week antics and relentless debate over who is the more skilled of the two.
The main card in Riyadh is scheduled to begin at 5pm UK time, while ring-walks for the main event are expected at 11:05pm. Given the magnitude of the night and the packed undercard on show beforehand though, it will hopefully all stick to schedule as we have a big event ahead of us.
How to watch Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk
When: Saturday May 18, 23:15 approx. (UK time)
Where: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
How:
DAZN PPV UK
DAZN PPV USA
DAZN PPV Global
ESPN+ PPV US
Sky Sports Box Office UK
TNT Sports Box Office UK
Main Event – Australia
Fury vs Usyk preview, prediction
Fury has come into this fight in great shape, a far cry from the version of himself that we saw against Francis Ngannou last time out. He’s been here before in big fights and delivered, and there’s no doubting his ring craft, boxing IQ and of course his frame and size.
With that in mind, there’s certainly a strong case to be made in favour of backing the Brit to secure the biggest win of his career thus far, but he’s also coming up against possibly the most difficult challenge he’s ever faced too.
Usyk has been relentless in his pursuit of greatness, and he’s undoubtedly deserving of the pound-for-pound talk that has followed him through fights with the likes of Anthony Joshua, Murat Gassiev and Mairis Breidis.
If the Ukrainian can avoid being sucked into a scrappy dogfight where we see all sorts of leaning and gamesmanship from Fury – with referee Mark Nelson potentially having a big role to play – we’ll see him showcase his speed, skill and combinations.
While Fury may well look in incredible shape, time will tell what toll the training camp and his previous lapses in discipline has taken. It will be close on Saturday as these two have too much class and ability to not make it an enthralling watch, but Usyk edges it via split decision after 12 rounds.
