Ukraine’s heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk takes on British fellow world champion Tyson Fury on Saturday, May 18 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The pair battles it out for the undisputed title live on pay-per-view. At an open workout, the fighters showed off their skills and previewed the upcoming clash.
Undefeated southpaw Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) of Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine brings to the ring his WBA, WBO and IBF belts. The 37-year-old former undisputed cruiserweight champion looks to dethrone Fury, add the WBC strap to his collection and become a two-division undisputed king.
“I feel good,” Oleksandr Usyk said. “Each event brings with it a new experience. It’s always a wonderful, great, and new experience for the team.”
“I don’t have a final message for him. I will save it for Saturday.”
Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) puts his WBC title on the line. The 35-year-old native of Manchester, England looks defeat Usyk, claim his unified WBA, WBO and IBF belts, and also become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
“I’m on top of the world, baby, Tyson Fury said. “Who wouldn’t be enjoying it? I’m in the great Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This is the main event. It is the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.”
“Keep tuned. Keep your eyes peeled. We’ve got some big stuff coming over the next few days.”
“I always have a crazy little ring walk. And you wouldn’t expect anything different for the biggest fight in your life, would you? I don’t think it’s ever been done before, so it’s definitely going to be a surprise.”
“This is absolutely fantastic. All these great people have come out to support the boxing event in Saudi Arabia. We’re looking forward to putting on a fantastic show for the world to watch.”
In the co-main event, Jai Opetaia (24-0, 19 KOs) of Australia and Mairis Briedis (28-2, 20 KOs) of Latvia meet in a rematch. The former IBF cruiserweight champions battle it out for the vacant belt.
In the third world title fight, Joe Cordina (17-0, 9 KOs) faces Anthony Cacace (21-1, 7 KO). The contest pits the IBF junior lightweight champion of Wales against the challenger of Northern Ireland.
Also on the card, undefeated Frank Sanchez (24-0, 17 KOs) of Cuba and Agit Kabayel (24-0, 16 KOs) of Germany square off in a WBC heavyweight title eliminator. Plus, former light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (35-4-1, 29 KOs) goes up against Sweden’s Robin Sirwan Safar (16-0, 12 KOs) at cruiserweight.