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Seven months after a thrilling first fight, 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 21 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, live on DAZN PPV.
The first meeting between Usyk and Fury 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 scheduled for next Saturday, as Usyk seeks a repeat and Fury seeks redemption. December 1, 2018 marked the beginning of what would prove to be a highly entertaining trilogy between Tyson Fury and hard-hitting WBC champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder. In the first fight, Wilder’s power was on display when he scored a knockdown in the ninth round.
In the twelfth and final round, Deontay Wilder landed a two-and-three combination that appeared to knock out Tyson Fury. Once the referee’s count reached 6, Fury appeared as WWE wrestler ‘The Undertaker’. Wilder scored both knockdowns, but Fury outclassed Wilder in most of the other rounds.
At the conclusion of the 12-round fight, the fight was declared a draw via split decision. Fury and Wilder would cross paths twice more, as Fury scored two convincing victories.
After the trilogy with Wilder, Fury stopped both Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora. In October 2023, Fury had a lackluster performance defeating former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou via split decision. Seven months after the Ngannou fight, Fury stepped into the ring to engage in a historic battle.
After dominating the cruiserweight division, Oleksandr Usyk made his heavyweight debut in October 2019 when he stopped Chazz Witherspoon in the seventh round. A year later, Usyk defeated Derek Chisora by unanimous decision.
The former cruiserweight king would face the unified heavyweight world champion. On the night of September 25, 2021, Oleksandr Usyk defeated Anthony Joshua and won the world title fight by unanimous decision. With the victory, Usyk became the new WBA, WBO and IBF world heavyweight champion.
Eleven months later, a man considered one of the best heavyweights of this era, Anthony Joshua, got his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua made adjustments to make the rematch more competitive, but Usyk was still able to claim the split decision victory.
Oleksandr Usyk would make a second successful defense of his unified title by stopping Daniel Dubois in the ninth round. Next on Usyk’s agenda was a match against another heavyweight considered one of the best of this era.
On the night of May 18, 2024, in a battle for the undisputed world heavyweight crown, 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, sliding from side to side and landing both the jab and the left to the body.
For most of the first half of the fight, Usyk was the aggressor, but Fury did a good job 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 strong uppercut that hurt Usyk.
During the second half of the fight, the southpaw Usyk continued to press forward, sliding from side to side, applying both physical and mental pressure. At the end of the ninth round, Usyk landed a hard left hand that staggered Fury. Usyk proceeded to land a flurry of shots as Fury staggered around the ring until he finally fell.
Fury survived the knockdown, but down the stretch, Usyk was the stronger and more active fighter. At the conclusion of the 12-round bout, Oleksandr Usyk won by split decision and became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999.
Usyk also achieved 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 fight.
Tyson Fury is the key to the rematch because he is 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 mistake. So the question is: Will Fury try to duplicate his performance by omitting the mistake, or will he fight on 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 at making the necessary adjustments. That said, on December 21, when Usyk and Fury meet for the second time, will it be a repeat or a redemption?
