On December 21st in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), a boxing night of the Riyadh Season series will take place, the main event of which will be the rematch between the world’s strongest super heavyweights — Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk and Briton Tyson Fury. We offer you a prediction for this mega fight from our site team.
Oleksandr Usyk
Oleksandr Usyk is a legend of world boxing, who went from an amateur to the undisputed champion in two weight categories. The Ukrainian has become the European, world champion, and won Olympic gold. Before turning professional, he brilliantly performed in the semi-professional WSB league, after which he signed a contract with the promotional company K2 Promotions.
It took Usyk less than three years to gain his first championship title in the pros. In 2016, he won the WBO heavyweight belt by confidently defeating then-champion Krzysztof Glowacki.
Usyk’s star status was cemented after triumphing in the prestigious World Boxing Super Series (WBSS). During this tournament, he defeated Mairis Briedis and Murat Gassiev, uniting all the major titles in the cruiserweight division and becoming the undisputed champion.
A new challenge for Usyk was moving up to heavyweight. In 2021, as the mandatory challenger, he took three championship belts (WBA, IBF, WBO) from Anthony Joshua. In the spring of 2024, in a fight for the undisputed championship, he defeated Tyson Fury, confirming his status as the best super heavyweight of today.
Tyson Fury
Tyson Fury is one of the most charismatic super heavyweights in modern boxing. Even at the amateur level, he won medals at European and world championships among juniors, but after failing to qualify for the Olympics, he decided to turn professional in 2008.
The real breakthrough came in 2015 when Fury sensationally took the WBA, IBF, and WBO championship belts from Wladimir Klitschko on his territory. That evening forever entered the history of boxing, and Tyson – into the list of great champions. However, his career temporarily stalled after this victory due to suspicions of using banned substances and serious mental health issues.
Fury returned to the ring in 2018, challenging the dangerous knockout artist Deontay Wilder. Their first fight ended in a draw, but in the rematch and third bout, the Briton won twice by stoppage, securing the WBC title for himself.
The rematch with Oleksandr Usyk will be another opportunity for Fury to regain what was lost. The three main championship belts are at stake, except for the IBF title, which went uncontested to Daniel Dubois.
Prediction
In May, Fury initially lost due to passivity but managed to seize the initiative, although he then gave it back to Usyk. A hit received in the 9th round led to a knockdown, and by the final gong, the Briton was surviving. In the rematch, Fury will likely rely on a power style and ‘dirty’ tactics, using his size advantage. It is crucial for Usyk not to allow his opponent to dominate and to control the fight from the first round. Our prediction for the fight is “Usyk to win.”
