It is the blockbuster news bulletin that sports fans across the globe have been waiting to hear. WBC and Lineal heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury will take on WBO/WBA/IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk in an epic showdown to crown the division’s first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
The biggest fight in world boxing will take place at the Kingdom Arena as part of this Riyadh Season and will be presented to fans around the world by The General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia.
Additional details, including the official fight date, will be announced in due course.
“Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are the two greatest heavyweights of their generation, and I can’t wait to see what happens when they step into the ring in Riyadh. They are special talents worthy of competing for the greatest prize in sports,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “I would like to thank His Excellency Turki Alalshikh and everyone involved in helping make this legendary night a reality.”
Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) has reigned as the division’s lineal champion since dethroning Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015. Following a well-documented hiatus due to personal troubles, “The Gypsy King” authored a comeback story for the ages. Following a controversial draw against Deontay WIlder in December 2018, Fury snatched Wilder’s WBC world title via seventh-round TKO in their February 2020 rematch. Their trilogy concluded with the 2021 Fight of the Year, as Fury overcame a pair of knockdowns to ice Wilder in the 11th round. He stayed busy in 2022 with stoppage victories over Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora and is getting set to fight MMA superstar Francis Ngannou on October 28 in Riyadh.
Ukraine’s Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, moved up to the heavyweight ranks following a dominant run to the undisputed cruiserweight title. In September 2021, he upset Anthony Joshua to become the unified heavyweight world champion and then defeated Joshua by split decision in their rematch nearly one year later. Usyk returned in August to stop Daniel Dubois in nine rounds and now hopes to join Evander Holyfield as the only undisputed cruiserweight champion to repeat the deed at heavyweight.
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