Oleksandr Usyk faces Tyson Fury in a rematch this coming Saturday, December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The reigning unified heavyweight champion from Ukraine and the UK’s former world champion face off for the second time following their first fight in May.
The pair squared off in the historic four-belt championship for the undisputed title at heavyweight. The contest saw the unified WBA, WBO and IBF champion Usyk up against the WBC titleholder, Fury.
The scheduled 12-round bout went the full distance. In the ninth round, the native of Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine scored a standing knockdown on his rival from Manchester, England with a flurry of punches. The latter survived and was saved by the bell.
The fight went on, and after 12 rounds, two judges scored the fight 114-113 and 115-112 in favor of Usyk, while one judge had 113-114 for Fury. The rematch date was confirmed shortly after.
Making his second ring appearance of the year, Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) brings to the ring his unified WBO, WBA, and WBC belts. The 37-year-old southpaw vacated the IBF strap in June, ahead of Anthony Joshua’s fight against fellow Briton Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs), who came out on top by knockout and claimed the title.
Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) also fights for the second time in 2024. The 36-year-old looks to take revenge, avenge his sole career defeat, and once again become champion.