Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury 2: heavyweight boxing world title rematch announced for December in Saudi Arabia
Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk 2 has been given an official date.
The rematch everyone is waiting to see has been announced less than two weeks before the initial clash took place - Oleksandr Usyk will take on ‘The Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury in a repeat of their epic undisputed heavyweight world title fight on December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Some may be disappointed that it is so far away - however, given the gruelling nature of their first encounter, both fighters will need plenty of time to recover before they take to the ring again.
The first fight between the two rivals was nothing short of spectacular. Usyk largely controlled the early rounds, as Fury tried to psyche out the Ukrainian - following this, Fury began to figure out Usyk’s rhythm and started landing some vicious counter punches to both body and head.
Just as Fury was taking over on the scorecards, Usyk made some minor adjustments to throw the Englishman off his game. Adjusting his timing, Usyk took advantage of Fury’s loose guard to land an enormous left hand that shook the Gypsy King to his core. A visibly fatigued Fury made it to the final bell, but it was Usyk who was given the richly-deserved split-decision win.
Usyk became the first person to unify the heavyweight world titles since Lennox Lewis as a result. However, the bout on December 21 may not be for the undisputed crown - Usyk is in danger of being stripped of the IBF belt after he did not defend it against mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic.
The fight will take place during Saudi Arabia’s ‘Riyadh Season’ - a period of celebration in the area dominated by sports and other forms of entertainment. This period played host to two major boxing events in 2023 - namely, Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou and the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card that featured Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin and Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker.