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+.
Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis: Round 9 to Briedis
Briedis lands early, the aggressor for the first time of the fight. Eats a jab for it. Bleeding again. But he gave as good as he got. Opetaia 89, Briedis 82.
Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis: Round 8 to Opetaia
Opetaia goes back to the plan: stalk and jab, stalk and jab. Briedis no spectator, throwing punches when the opening is there. Opetaia in command. Opetaia 80, Briedis 72.
Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis: Round 7 to Opetaia
Blood’s cleaned up and Briedis shows some vitality. Opetaia still the aggressor and lands a couple of body shots. Felt even, but Opetai still dictating the flow. Opetaia 70, Briedis 63.
Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis: Round 6 to Opetaia
Opetaia stalking and lands big lefts, bloodying Briedis’ nose. Broken? Blood’s flowing, and Briedis rallies with a flurry. But he’s covered in blood. Opetaia 60, Briedis 54.
Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis: Round 5 to Opetaia
Briedis a little more active, but not enough. Opetaia lands a couple body shots. Could be weakening Briedis. Opetaia 50, Briedis 45.
Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis: Round 4 to Opetaia
Opetaia stalking. Gets Briedis against the ropes and in the corner, makes him pay. And keeps going back to the jab. Opetaia 40, Briedis 36.
Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis: Round 3 to Opetaia
Opetaia making good use of his jab and showing nice movement. Keeping Briedis at bay and showing good ring generalship. Opetaia 30, Briedis 27.
Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis: Round 2 to Opetaia
Well, hello there, Mr. Briedis! Lets loose for a flurry punches. Delivers a big one, too. Back comes Opetaia, smothering Briedis in the corner. Both look game now. Opetaia 20, Briedis 18.
Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis: Round 1 to Opetaia
Fighters feeling things out. Opetaia throwing a few jabs, and Briedis…waking up from a nap? Opetaia 10, Briedis 9.
Anthony Cacace beats Joe Cordina by TKO
Anthony Cacace entered the fight as a heavy underdog. He exited as the IBF and IBO super featherweight champion.
Firing a variety of punches with impressive frequency, Cacace landed a flurry early in the eighth round and won by TKO when the referee stopped the fight.
“I’m in shock” Cacace said after the fight. “Nobody gave me a shot over here.”
Cacace, 31 of Northern Ireland, improved to 22-1. Cordina, 32 of Britain, fell to 17-1.
Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace: Cacace wins in Round 8
Cacace lands a flurry of punches to the head, and it’s over! The referee stops the fight. Cacace wins by TKO.
Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace: Round 7 to Cacace
No letup from Cacace, who’s got Cordina on the ropes and doing more damage. Cordina still game, but can’t seem to get out of way of Cacace’s punches. Cacace 68, Cordina 64.
Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace: Round 6 to Cacace
Cacace stalking. Cordina stands his ground, punches fly. Almost inside fighting, and Cacace now the one who’s punches are landing with more force – to the body, the head, all angles. Pouring it on. Cacace 58, Cordina 55.
Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace: Round 5 to Cacace
Boxers whaling away early, before pace slows a bit. Not for long, though. Heavy blows exchanged. Cacace loses his mouthpiece, but not the round. Cacace 48, Cordina 46.
Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace: Round 4 to Cordina
Cordina showing some energy, lands a sharp left. From on the ropes in Round 3 to on the attack now. Cacace 38, Cordina 37.
Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace: Round 3 to Cacace
Cacae digs in with a couple body shots, coming alive again. Then lands a huge let hook on an apparent break. Draws a warning, no penalty. Cacae pounces, unleashing punches. Down goes Cordina! Floored by a right hand. But back on his feet, and 45 seconds left in the round. He survives, barely. Cacace 29, Cordina 27.
Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace: Round 2 to Cacace
Cordina effective with jab, but Cacace delivers a nice combination. Tactical fight, and Cacace goes on the attack. Cordina 19, Cacace 19.
Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace: Round 1 to Cordina
Cordina initiates the action. Cacace responds. Back and forth they go, with an assortment of punches. Cordina landing with more authority. Cordina 10, Cacace 9.
Cristiano Ronaldo arrives for Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight
Tickets for the Fury-Usyk fight still are available on StubHub, for as little as $133. But here’s guessing one bloke who recently arrived at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabi came without a ticket – or any worry about getting in.
That would be Cristiano Ronaldo.
The soccer superstar settled into a ringside seat next to Anthony Joshua, the two-time heavyweight world champion.
Agit Kabayel def. Frank Sanchez by KO
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.
Daniel Lapin def. Octavio Pudivtr by KO
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.
Isaac Lowe def. Hasibullah Ahmadi by points
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.
David Nyika def. Michael Seitz, TKO
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.
Moses Itauma def Ilija Mezencez by TKO
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.
Mark Chamberlain defeats Joshua Wahab by TKO
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.
Robin Safar beats Sergey Kovalev by unanimous decision
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
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Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis, for vacant IBF cruiserweight title
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Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace, for Cordina’s IBO super featherweight title
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Frank Sanchez vs. Agit Kabayel, heavyweight
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Moses Itauma vs. Ilija Mezencez, heavyweight
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Mark Chamberlain vs. Joshua Wahab, lightweight
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Sergey Kovalev vs. Robin Sirawn Safar, light heavyweight
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Daniel Lapin vs. Octavio Pudivtr, light heavyweight
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David Nyika vs. Michael Seitz, cruiserweight
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Isaac Lowe vs. Hasibullah Ahmadi, featherweight
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk prediction
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.
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk odds
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FanDuel: Fury -105, Usyk +110
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DraftKings: Fury -120, Usyk +100
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BetMGM: Fury -125, Usyk +100
Tyson Fury’s dad head-butts Oleksandr Usyk team member
Tyson Fury’s father head-butted a member of Oleksandr Osyk’s entourage during a media event ahead of the bout, leaving blood streaking down his own face.
The incident stemmed from a heated altercation after which John Fury appeared to ram his head into another member of the Ukrainian fighter’s entourage.
“Sincere apologies to everybody involved,” he said later. “It’s just the way we are. Emotions and tensions are running high. He was a very disrespectful fella. If you come close in a fighting man’s space, you’re gonna cop for something.”
What is Tyson Fury’s record?
Tyson Fury is 34-0-1 with 24 KOs.
What is Oleksandr Usyk’s fight record?
Oleksandr Usyk is 21-0 with 14 KOs.
Is Tyson Fury too thin?
Sure, Fury still is a little flabby, but he weighed in at 262 pounds, the lightest he’s been for a fight since 2019. That’s about 15 fewer pounds that he usually carries into the ring.
Was slimmer and trimmer right choice?
“I don’t know,’’ Lennox Lewis, the former undisputed heavyweight champion, told DAZN during the livestream. “I like him with a little bit of weight on him. I’m always afraid when a guy takes off so much weight that takes off weight off his chin.
“And I’ll be looking at Tyson and I realize that he’s got skinny legs. But he’s got skinny legs and he can move well. But if he gets hit on the chin, how’s that you to affect him? That’s what I’m looking at.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk live updates: How to watch fight tonight
