Boxing is back in full effect this Saturday as the best heavyweight champion of the generation, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, square off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Arena. The two will look to crown the first undisputed heavyweight world champion in 25 years.
Ukraine-native and lineal heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk finally gets the chance he has been seeking ever since he turned professional in 2013 as he takes on the WBC champion Manchester, England’s six-foot-seven ‘gypsy king’ Tyson Fury for the undisputed world heavyweight title.
With an impressive record of 21-0 (14 KOs), Usyk is touted as the no. 3 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world via ESPN’s list. His dance partner Fury comes into the bout with a hall-of-fame resume and boasts a record of 34-0-1 (24 KOs) and ranks at no. 9 on ESPN’s pound-for-pound list.
Boxing Heavyweight Champion: David vs. Goliath
Looking at the apparent size difference between the two heavyweights, Usyk stands at a fair six-foot-three stature and typically weighs around 220 lbs. As for the ‘gypsy king,’ Fury stands at a whopping six-foot-seven frame carrying around 275 lbs. Fury holds the advantage in measurable in every regard you can account for with a monstrous eighty-five-inch reach, seven inches longer than Usyk’s seventy-eight-inch wingspan.
However, Fury has come into this fight week looking relatively lean and has deliberately slimmed down in frame to counteract his smaller and craftier opponent. DAZN Boxing pundits at the spectacular Riyadh season event scene asked Fury about this seemingly planned weight loss. To this notion, Fury stated, “I’m around about nineteen-stone. I’ve had two or three good camps back-to-back.” Nineteen-stones translates to around 120 kilograms, which is about 266 lbs.
Looking Back at Boxing’s Last Undisputed Heavyweight Champ
Saturday’s heavyweight clash holds so much historical significance. The last time boxing was able to crown an undisputed heavyweight world champion was back in November 1999 inside Las Vegas’ famous Thomas & Mack Center, when greats Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield fought in a highly anticipated rematch after their first bout was scored in a controversial split-draw. Lewis cemented himself as the best heavyweight the second time around by tallying a unanimous decision win.
Team Fury’s Fight Week Antics
Tyson Fury’s father, John Fury, has always been known to provide quality entertainment and theatrics to his son’s fight weeks and overall buildups. However, the 59-year-old former professional heavyweight boxer has never reached the level of boldness that he displayed on Monday to open up the historic undisputed heavyweight fight week.
Inside the Riyadh hotel, where media events were set to occur, team Fury and Team Usyk came to a crossroads while moving through a building section. The teams were seen on camera shouting their respective fighters’ names and forcibly shoving one another.
In a shocking turn of events, the larger-than-life John Fury, known for his outspoken nature, unexpectedly turned to a member of team Usyk and delivered a headbutt to the much smaller man. This sudden aggression sparked chaos between the two teams, who were initially present to support their fighters during media scrums. In a subsequent conversation with the media, Fury expressed remorse for his actions.
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