Boxing

What heavyweight world titles are on the line in the Fury vs Usyk 2 fight?

Usyk defeated Fury by split decision in May, with a rematch to take place in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, December 21.

ALI HAIDER

Scottish sports journalist and content creator. After running his own soccer-related projects, in 2022 he joined Diario AS, where he mainly reports on the biggest news from around Europe’s leading soccer clubs, Liga MX and MLS, and covers live games in a not-too-serious tone. Likes to mix things up by dipping into the world of American sports.

Update: Dec 19th, 2024 03:21 EST

Tyson Fury is out for revenge against Oleksandr Usyk when the pair go head to head for a second time on Saturday, December 21 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Usyk ends Fury’s unbeaten record

The duo return to the scene of their first battle, which saw the Ukrainian bring the Englishman’s unbeaten professional boxing record to an end. Prior to their meeting in May, Fury had won 34 of 35 bouts, a draw against Deontay Wilder in 2018 the only blemish on an otherwise perfect record.

Tyson Fury hasn’t spoken to his wife in three months while training for the Usyk rematch 😳pic.twitter.com/5UH6rqz8rW
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) December 16, 2024

However, Usyk, who is 22-0, inflicted a first ever defeat on “The Gypsy King” seven months ago, “The Cat” winning a close bout via split decision and adding the WBC heavyweight to the IBF, WBA (Super), WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight titles that were already in his possession. That earned him the tag of “undisputed heavyweight champion of the world,” which he has now lost.

How Usyk lost the IBF heavyweight belt

Not by losing in the ring, however. IBF rules stipulate the champion must defend his title against the mandatory challenger, in this case Daniel Dubois. However, Usyk instead asked to be allowed to hold onto the IBF belt to face Fury, a request that was denied.

“Anthony (Joshua) and Daniel (Dubois), listen. I know the IBF title is important to you. It is my present to you on 21 September,” said Usyk as he relinquished the belt to the IBF via video in June.

Belts on the line in Fury vs Usyk 2

As a result, the WBO, WBA and WBC titles will be on the line when Usyk and Fury face off once again in Riyadh on Saturday. A second victory for the Ukrainian means a third meeting would be unlikely, while a triumph for the English boxer may lead to a best-of-three decider in the not-too-distant future.

Big John Fury relieved of corner duties by son

Boxing

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