Tyson Fury – Oleksandr Usyk is the most anticipated fight in professional boxing this year and will take place on May 18th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The two boxers were originally scheduled to get into the ring on February 17th, but Tyson Fury was injured and requested a postponement, much to the frustration of boxing betting punters.
Method Of Victory - Tyson Fury to win on Points
But the British boxer returned to the ring, resumed training and said he would be ready for the fight in May, when the stakes are colossal: the winner will hold unified heavyweight belts.
The last boxer to achieve this feat was Lennox Lewis, in 1999 and 2000. At the bout in May, Tyson Fury comes with the WBC heavyweight belt, while Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk has the WBA, IBF and WBO belts.
Fury vs Usyk Fact File
Tyson Fury
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Age: 35 years
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Height: 2.06 meters
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Record: 34 wins (24 by KO), 0 defeats, 1 draw
Oleksandr Usyk
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Age: 36 years
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Height: 1.91 meters
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Record: 21 wins (14 by KO), 0 losses
A War Of Words
As before every fight of this kind, there is also a duel of statements. Tyson Fury, known for his choleric character, is once again more vocal and has threatened Usyk.
"I don't know if he's the toughest opponent I'll meet because I've never fought him before. So far, to be honest, I haven't been so impressed with him.
"He does what he needs to do, gets paid, does his job and goes home. Is he good enough to beat Gypsy King? I don't think so, but I wish him success. If he does, I'll shake his hand.
"If it's not, I move on to the next one. I think I'm going to KO him in the seventh round."
On the other hand, Oleksandr Usyk's team accused Fury of faking the injury that caused the fight to be postponed, precisely because he was not ready.
And Usyk himself doubts that Fury will show up in the ring to meet him.
"God has a plan. I think the fight will take place, but I'm not 100% sure, but rather 70% sure. But sooner or later this fight will take place.
"I'm not angry, things like this happen, that's how life is. I am happy that I am now going to Ukraine. I will see my two daughters and wife. I will go to church and pray. I'll rest a little bit, then I'll get back into training camp."
However, the press wrote that Tyson Fury will be ordered to pay an estimated $10 million in damages if he does not show up for the fight on May 18. The British boxer assured that he will be ready by then.
The fight between Fury and Usyk was also talked about by Anthony Joshua, who is counting on the Ukrainian boxer.
"I think Usyk will win. I would prefer Fury, but I'm counting on Usyk. I would love to fight Fury, that's why I would want him to win. It's a selfish motive, I know,"
In fact, the specialized press writes that the winner between Fury and Usyk will meet Joshua, following his victory over Francis Ngannou.
Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk Odds
You can already bet on the clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk at 888sport. In sports betting, with the first chance is quoted Tyson Fury, who has a small advantage in the bookmakers' view. The odds on Oleksandr Usyk's victory are somewhat higher.
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Tyson Fury - 4/5
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Oleksandr Usyk - 21/20
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Draw - 20/1
How Is Tyson Fury After His Injury?
Tyson Fury suffered a serious injury to his eye, which he did not fight again in February. The media reported that Fury was on the brink of a very serious injury, as a result of which he could also lose his sight. However, the Briton resumed his training and announced that he was in good shape.
"It's already been four weeks and a few days since then. I rested, I recovered and now I'm ready to go into training camp.
"Very bad things happen in boxing and we've seen this before. It wouldn't have been the first time a fight had been cancelled due to injury.
"At first I was super annoyed by the fact that it didn't look like the fight was going to happen again. We didn't have a set date. But two days later we had a new date set and it was fantastic. Now everything is great."
"The eye is already cured. The cut takes eight weeks to heal. And I'll have 15 weeks from the cut to the fight date. So there is enough time. I'm not worried about the cut. If the cut opens during the fight, so what? We've had many other cuts before.
If Fury is not ready for the bout on May 18th, the IBF will withdraw his title and Usyk will choose his opponent between Anthony Joshua and Filip Hrgovic.
In The Ring's rankings, Oleksandr Usyk is positioned better than Tyson Fury at heavyweight. Anthony Joshua is next, while in this hierarchy we also find Zhilei Zhang (China), Joseph Parker (New Zealand) and Filip Hrgovic (Croatia).
*The odds published in this article are subject to change at any time*
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
