Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk: Preview, verdict and suggested bets

The long-awaited undisputed world title fight between Fury and Usyk occurs this weekend as arguably the two leading heavyweights of this era lock horns in the Middle East.

For a while, it looked like this fight would not happen as the respective teams continuously butted heads while negotiating terms.

This all changed as Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh emerged as the most powerful man in boxing and put a level of purse on the table that was too good for either fighter to turn down.

Originally pencilled in for February 17, Fury vs Usyk had to be pushed back a couple of months after the Brit suffered a freak eye cut during a sparring session.

There was a speedy turnaround by the event organisers to set a new date, with the main event and undercard fighters switching their focus to May 18.

The fighters and their respective camps have made their grand arrivals in Saudi Arabia ahead of fight night and it has already been newsworthy, with Fury’s outspoken father - John Fury - left bloodied after he headbutted a member of Usyk’s team.

While the camps have clashed, Fury and Usyk have remained pretty respectful. As for the fight itself, the Brit’s game plan appears to be obvious as he is visibly much lighter than he was in previous fights against Francis Ngannou and Deontay Wilder.

After pilling on the pounds to enhance his power punches, Fury appears primed to be quicker on his feet against Usyk as he attempts to match the two-weight world champion’s supreme footwork for what is expected to be an elite chess match between two of the best boxers in the world at the moment.

After coming in undercooked against Ngannou as a result of not taking the former UFC heavyweight champion seriously, Fury looks zoned in for Usyk and this should see ‘The Gypsy King’ produce a far better performance than the worrying display he put on last time out.

And this huge improvement will be required if he’s to beat Usyk, who should certainly be the toughest opponent of his career to date.

It’s been 25 years since the last undisputed heavyweight fight and while the anticipation for Fury vs Usyk is huge, do not be surprised if the actual fight is somewhat underwhelming and turns ugly as they wrestle on the ropes and exchange jabs/feints.

 

 

Given Fury’s weight situation, boxing fans should expect him to revert to the pure boxing style that saw him shock the world to dethrone Wladimir Klitschko rather than being the all-action heavy hitter that demolished Wilder.

This approach should ensure that the Usyk fight is extremely close, with the two boxers tough to separate in most rounds.

A points win for either man is most likely and given Usyk’s increased output, I would lean more towards the Ukrainian if the bout went the distance, although a draw is certainly not out of the question.

Should there be a stoppage, this outcome would likely come in the favour of Fury in the latter rounds and it could come via a lethal body shot, with one of Usyk’s very few weaknesses perhaps being that he is perceptible to being hurt by a blow to the body.

 

Fury vs Usyk suggested bets 

Tyson Fury to win (Rounds 10-12) – 9/1

Oleksandr Usyk to win (on points) – 15/8

 

Planet Sport Bet offer: Fury v Usyk - Bet £10 Get £5 free bet if the fight is won by a knockout

 

Date, start time, venue and how to watch

Fury vs Usyk – in an event billed as ‘Ring of Fire’ – takes place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, May 18. 

This boxing card will be broadcast on Sky Sports PPV, TNT Sports PPV and DAZN PPV in the United Kingdom. In the United States and globally, the event can be purchased via DAZN PPV. 

The undercard is scheduled to get underway at 6:00pm in the United Kingdom and 1:00pm (ET) in the United States.

As for the main event, the ring walks are due for 11:00pm in the UK and 6:00pm (ET) in the USA.

 

Full Fury vs Usyk card

Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk (IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO world heavyweight titles)

Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis (Vacant IBF world cruiserweight title)

Joe Cordina (c) vs. Anthony Cacace (IBF world super featherweight title)

Frank Sanchez vs. Agit Kabayel (Heavyweight contest)

Moses Itauma vs. Ilija Mezencev (Heavyweight contest)

Mark Chamberlain vs. Joshua Wahab (Lightweight contest)

Sergey Kovalev vs. Robin Sirawn Safar (Light heavyweight contest)

Daniel Lapin vs. Octavio Pudivtr (Light heavyweight contest)

David Nyika vs. Michael Seitz (Cruiserweight contest)

Isaac Lowe vs. Hasibullah Ahmadi (Featherweight contest)