By Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will be fighting Saturday for something that was last at stake 25 years ago: the undisputed heavyweight title.
Lennox Lewis claimed it with a unanimous-decision victory over Evander Holyfield in 1999. The impending matchup between Fury (34-0-1, 24 KO’s) and Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia could be equally intriguing.
At 6-foot-9, Fury possesses a combination of agility and power, and his resume includes two knockout victories against Deontay Wilder.
At 6-3, Usyk possesses notable hand speed and a high ring IQ that could offset being six inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter than Fury. His resume includes two victories over Anthony Joshua, once by split decision and once by unanimous decision.
Both boxers are undefeated but not invulnerable.
Fury, who is the WBC and lineal champion, struggled in October in a non-title fight against Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion who was making his pro boxing debut. Fury escaped with a controversial victory by split decision.
Usyk, who owns the other heavyweight belts, was knocked down by Daniel Dubois in his last fight. He rallied to win that bout in August by knockout.
The matchup, originally set for February, was delayed by three months when Fury suffered a deep cut over his right eye in training.
Now the wait is over. The crown of undisputed heavyweight champion waits to be claimed.
Follow along for updates and highlights throughout the day, including the main event between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
When is Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight?
Saturday, May 18. The main card starts at 2 p.m. ET, and the Fury-Usyk fight will start at approximately 6 p.m. ET.
How to watch Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight
The fight is available on DAZN, PPV.COM and ESPN+.
Kabayel dominated Sanchez before knocking him out in the seventh round of their heavyweight fight.
Kabayel dropped Sanchez twice in that round, both time with body shots, with the fight officially ending at 2:33 of the seventh round. Sanchez appeared to be hampered by a brace on his right knee.
A 31-year-old German, Kabayel improved to 25-0. Sanchez, a 31-year-old Cuban, fell to 24-1.
This light heavyweight bout was scheduled for 10 rounds, and tardy spectators missed out.
Lapin, a southpaw from Ukraine, scored a first-round knockout.
Lapin, 26, improved to 10-0 and Pudivtr, a 36-year-old from Portugal, fell to 9-2.
Lowe knocked down Ahmadi in eighth round and prevailed by points in their 10-round featherweight bout.
The judge scored it 97-92.
Lowe, a 30-year-old Brit, improved to 25-2-3. Ahmadi, 23 and born in Afghanistan, fell to 16-2.
In boxing circles, Nyika is known as The Nice Guy. Seitz might beg to differ.
Nyika, the 6-foot-6 New Zealander, handed Seitz his first loss with a TKO in the fourth round of the cruiserweight bout.
Nyika, 28, improved to 12-0. Seitz, 31, fell to 12-1.
Itauma, a top heavyweight prospect at 19, continued his trajectory with a second-round knockout over Mezencez.
Itauma appeared to score a knockdown late in the first round that the referee ruled a push. But there was no doubt about the powerful punch that floored Mezencez in the second round and led the referee to stop the fight 50 seconds into the round.
Itauma, a Brit, improved to 9-0 with seven knockouts. Mezencev, a 28-year-old German, fell to 25-4.
Chamberlain made quick work of Joshua Wahab in their light heavyweight bout. He knocked down Wahab in the first round and dropped him again moments later, prompting the referee to stop the fight with 18 seconds left in the round.
Chamberlain, a 25-year-old Brit, improved to 16-0. Wahab, a 26-year-old Nigerian, fell to 23-3.
Kovalev, the former WBO and IBO light heavyweight champion, lost for the second time in three fights. He was knocked down in the 10th and final round of the cruiserweight fight and at 41 appears to be in decline. His record dropped to 35-5-1.
Safar, a 31-year-old Swede, improved to 16-0. He won handily, with the judges scoring the fight 95-94, 99-90, 97-92.
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk undercard
- Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis, for vacant IBF cruiserweight title
- Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace, for Cordina’s IBR super featherweight title
- Frank Sanchez vs. Agit Kabayel, heavyweight
- Moses Itauma vs. Ilija Mezencez, heavyweight
- Mark Chamberlain vs. Joshua Wahab, lightweight
- Sergey Kovalev vs. Robin Sirawn Safar, light heavyweight
- Daniel Lapin vs. Octavio Pudivtr, light heavyweight
- David Nyika vs. Michael Seitz, cruiserweight
- Isaac Lowe vs. Hasibullah Ahmadi, featherweight
Usyk will score a knockdown, but Fury will win the fight by TKO in the 11th round, according to Josh Peter of USA TODAY Sports.
- FanDuel: Fury -105, Usyk +110
- DraftKings: Fury -120, Usyk +100
- BetMGM: Fury -125, Usyk +100
