Boxing will have an undisputed heavyweight champion in early 2024 with Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk agreeing to fight each other in Saudi Arabia.
Fury holds the WBC belt he won by defeating Deontay Wilder in 2020. He defended the belt three times against Wilder, Dillian Whyte and most recently Derek Chisora.
Usyk has held the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles since defeating Anthony Joshua in 2021. He has since defended these titles twice: against Joshua and Daniel Dubois.
Both Fury and Usyk are undefeated so far in their professional boxing careers.
The last time boxing had a unified and undisputed heavyweight champion was in 2000 when Lennox Lewis held all four titles.
When is the Fury-Usyk match?
The match is planned to be held on Saturday, February 17, 2024.
At the press conference held to confirm the date, Fury said of Usyk: “I will arrest him. Sausage. Ugly little man. Rabbit. Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run. Do you know what’s coming? You’re falling apart, sausage. You’re fighting the best British heavyweight ever.
“You beat the others, but you couldn’t beat Tyson Fury, sausage. You can never beat me. If you beat me in your dream, you better wake up and apologize. I stole this from Muhammad Ali, I’m sorry.
“When you sleep at night, ugly man, you’ll be thinking about me for the next eight weeks. I’ll punch you in the face. You ugly little man.”
Where is the fight taking place?
The match will be played in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Usyk’s team were delighted that Fury was on holiday in Saudi Arabia as part of promotional efforts for the fight.
Usyk’s manager, Egis Klimas, said: “While one is engaged in the other’s hard training. See you on February 17.”
How can I watch it in the UK?
Television details have not been revealed but the fight is guaranteed to be broadcast on pay-per-view and is likely to cost more than £20.
Who is in the undercard lineup?
Again, details were not disclosed.
Analysis: Saudi Arabian heavyweight league dances
The moment Fury and Usyk step into the ring will define this era of heavyweight boxing. Bar none, it will always be the most important dance in sports.
The matchup, with the pair at their best, will be a reminder that the title of undisputed heavyweight champion is indeed the ‘richest prize in sport’, as it is often referred to. Symbolic; It is symbolic in sports and culture. When heavyweight boxing is strong, the rest of boxing is strong too.
It’s important for the Fury-Usyk bout to remind fans that the pinnacle of the sport still exists, at a time when it’s under threat from the rise of YouTubers in the ring and fights between social media influencers. These sideshow events have become lucrative but have disappointed traditional fans and boxing enthusiasts who say they devalue the sweet science.
In recent months, it took Saudi Arabia’s investment and the timely intervention of Turki Al-Shikh, a true boxing fan and chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, to make mega events happen.
In the same week that the Fury-Usyk fight was confirmed, Saudi Arabia confirmed another blockbuster event featuring Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder on the same card, despite their rival promoters; But these two heavyweights are not fighting each other.
The announcement of these big fight nights shows that Saudi Arabia is taking over heavyweight boxing. He wins where others have failed: First, with a heavyweight bout that brings promoters Eddie Hearn (on behalf of Joshua) and Frank Warren (on behalf of Wilder) under the same roof. They were at a press conference at Wembley, two seats apart, with Hearn’s fighter Joshua talking about Warren’s effectiveness. It’s unheard of until now because despite being two of the sport’s most influential players, Hearn and Warren have barely spoken personally.
These are the kinds of incidents where authorities in the UK and US fail to cross the line. Yes, there have been five notable heavyweight fights in recent years (Fury-Wilder three times, Usyk-Joshua twice) but boxing fans were hoping for much more. This seems to be changing rapidly.
In the past, competition between promoters, broadcasters and different sanctioning bodies meant that a united advocacy could never last long. But if the right fight road map is put in place to satisfy must-have competitors in every generation, it could revolutionize the sport and prevent a new era of stalemate.
The big picture is the 2024 plan, which surely includes Joshua and Wilder. They will face off in another blockbuster contest if they successfully complete their challenges against Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker respectively. The Wilder fight could be Joshua’s nirvana as he aims to become a three-time heavyweight champion. Win and get another chance at glory; Lose it and have a good night.
Also for 2024, add Francis Ngannou, the MMA fighter who knocked out Fury, and IBF No. 1 Filip Hrgovic, who could be an opponent for Wilder or Joshua, into the mix.
The UK has tried, the US has tried, but the blue-ribbon section is Saudi Arabia, which is leading its supporters and sanctioning bodies in the same direction under the same flag.