Seven months after their glitzy and hugely popular undisputed heavyweight boxing fight, Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury are set to face off once again.
The May 19 fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, saw Usyk become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world in 24 years. However, the Ukrainian lost the ‘undisputed’ crown after he vacated one of his four world title belts a few weeks later.
Now, the superstar fighters will step in the ring once again in a much anticipated rematch.
Here’s everything you need to know about Fury-Usyk 2:
What is the date and ring walk time for the Fury vs Usyk rematch?
The fight night is on Saturday December 21.
The ring walk for the Fury vs Usyk fight is expected to start at 22:00 GMT on Saturday, which is 1am local time on Sunday morning in Riyadh.
Where is Fury-Usyk 2 being held?
Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena is the venue for the fight – the same location as the first contest back in May.
Where can I follow and watch the Fury vs Usyk rematch?
Al Jazeera’s live text commentary and photo coverage will begin at 18:00 GMT on Saturday December 21. We will bring you all the pre-fight talking points, analysis and build-up.
The fight will be streamed as a live pay-per-view event on various streaming services.
Who is on the undercards?
The main undercard bouts are expected to begin at 1800 GMT, which is 9pm local time.
- Serhii Bohachuk vs Ishmael Davis
- Moses Itauma vs Demsey McKean
- Johnny Fisher vs Dave Allen
- Isaac Lowe vs Lee McGregor
- Daniel Lapin vs Dylan Colin
- Andrii Novytskyi vs Edgar Ramirez – WBC International heavyweight title
Which titles are Fury and Usyk fighting for?
The rematch will not be an undisputed championship fight, and the titles on the line will be Usyk’s WBC, WBA and WBO belts.
What is the fight purse?
The prize money for the rematch is reported to be 190 million dollars.
Fury and Usyk will both earn more than their first heavyweight title fight in May although the purse split has not been announced.
Why did Usyk lose his IBF title?
Having decided not to defend the IBF crown against interim champion and mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois, Usyk vacated the belt in June.
Who is Tyson Fury?
Fury is a two-time heavyweight world champion and has been a professional boxer since 2008. The Manchester-born 36-year-old stands 2.06 metres (6ft, 9 inches) tall with a record of 34 wins, 24 by knockout, and one defeat (34-1-1, 24 KOs).
Who is Oleksandr Usyk?
Usyk is an undefeated Olympic gold medallist from Ukraine who has fought and won 22 matches (22-0, 14 KOs). The 37-year-old currently holds the WBA, WBO and WBC heavyweight belts. The 1.9-metre (6ft, 3-inch) tall fighter has spent time on patrol at home during Russia’s war on Ukraine.
What happened in the first Fury-Usyk fight in May?
Usyk beat Fury by scoring a razor-thin split decision to win the world’s first undisputed heavyweight championship in 24 years, an unprecedented feat in boxing’s four-belt era.
Fury was the early aggressor, but Usyk gradually took charge, and the British fighter was saved by the bell in the ninth round before slumping to his first career defeat.
(Read Al Jazeera’s blow-by-blow account of the fight.)
![Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk [Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters]](https://i0.wp.com/www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-05-18T232209Z_390959120_UP1EK5I1SWVFN_RTRMADP_3_BOXING-HEAVYWEIGHT-FURY-USYK-1716074654.jpg?w=696)
What was the result of the Fury vs Usyk fight?
The three judges voted:
- 115-112 to Usyk
- 114-113 to Fury
- 114-113 to Usyk
What did Usyk say after beating Fury?
Usyk was moved to tears and hailed his crowning as a big moment for him, his family and his country.
“It’s a great time, a great day.”
What did Fury say about the fight?
Fury kissed Usyk on the head after the final bell but demanded a rematch, claiming he had won the fight.
“I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won the majority of them, and I believe it was one of those what-can-you-do, one of them … decisions in boxing. We both put on a good fight, best we can do.”
Why are Fury and Usyk having a rematch?
The original fight had a rematch clause and even before it was over, experts predicted the losing fighter would demand another fight.
Right on cue, Fury said: “I’ll be back. I’ve got a rematch clause.”
What has Usyk said about the rematch?
The Ukrainian has said he’s “a little bit sick of boxing” but will look to knock out Fury if he gets an opportunity.
What has Fury said about the rematch?
Fury has promised to put in more effort in the preparations and the fight the second time around.
“I’ll just throw more this time,” Fury said. “Keep hitting him in the face more often than I did last time.
“I’m just going to box smart, box clever and if I catch him, get him out of there. Pretty similar to what I did last time.”
The British fighter also wants to cut down on the showboating that was the highlight of the earlier rounds of the first fight.
“A little bit less clowning around and a bit more focus and that’s it, really.
“I did more clowning than anybody in any high-level fight’s ever done. It’s taken my focus away as well, so maybe a little less clowning and more focus on the actual victory. I was messing around too much in there.”
