Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk 2: When is the fight, how to watch and who is on the undercard
Tyson Fury is out to avenge his loss to Oleksandr Usyk in the rematch between the pair later this month.
Earlier this year, in the first undisputed heavyweight clash since 1999, the Briton was beaten and knocked down in round nine.
That was enough to secure a split-decision victory, with the first judges scoring the fight in favour of Usyk while the third judge had it 114-113 in favour of Fury.
This next meeting will not be a fight for the undisputed heavyweight title, as Usyk has been forced to vacate his IBF title. That has since been claimed by Daniel Dubois after he dismantled Anthony Joshua at Wembley.
When is Fury vs Usyk 2?
The fight will take place on Saturday, December 21. For the first fight, the ring-walks happened at 11.30pm UK time. The timings are expected to be similar for this rematch.
Where is Fury vs Usyk 2?
Saudi Arabia is again hosting the contest, with Kingdom Arena in Riyadh as the chosen venue. Speaking to Telegraph Sport last year, promoter Bob Arum described Saudi Arabia as the new Las Vegas for heavyweight boxing. Critics say that the kingdom’s obsession with funding and promoting elite sport is sportswashing.
Where to watch Fury vs Usyk 2 in the UK
Viewers in the UK have the option of accessing the fight on any of three pay-per-view services: Sky Sports Box Office, TNT Sports Box Office or DAZN pay-per-view. The cost will be £24.99.
Live programming starts at 4pm, almost eight hours before the main event.
Is Fury vs Usyk 2 on the radio?
Yes, the rematch will be broadcast on TalkSport, with commentary from Riyadh.
Remarkably, the first fight was not broadcast on the radio in the UK. The BBC were unable to negotiate a deal to cover the bout and TalkSport’s on-and-off dispute with Fury’s camp also prevented them offering commentary.
Watch the Fury v Usyk promo video
In recent years, Saudi investment in boxing has resulted in promotional videos of rare quality. This fight is no different. Here’s the full video:
What is the Fury v Usyk 2 undercard?
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury (for the WBA, WBC and IBO heavyweight titles)
Serhii Bohachuk vs. Israil Madrimov; Light middleweight
Moses Itauma vs. Demsey McKean; Heavyweight
Johnny Fisher vs. Dave Allen; Heavyweight
Dennis McCann vs. Peter McGrail (for European super bantamweight title)
Isaac Lowe vs. Lee McGregor; Featherweight
What are Fury and Usyk’s career records?
Oleksandr Usyk
Nationality: Ukrainian
Date of birth: January 17, 1987
Height: 6’ 3”
Reach: 78”
Total fights: 22
Record: 22-0 (14 KOs)
Tyson Fury
Nationality: British
Date of birth: August 12, 1988
Height: 6’ 9”
Reach: 85”
Total fights: 36
Record: 34-1-1 (24 KOs)
What are the odds?
Usyk to win: 8/11
Fury to win: 24/13
Draw: 18/1
What people are saying about the fight
Tyson Fury believes “more focus and less clowning” will be the key to getting revenge.
“I don’t think I can be any better than what I did,” Fury said, speaking to Sky Sports. “Because I think it was probably one of the best performances I’ve ever done in my life.
“Although I didn’t get the result, I thought it was a very fantastic performance against one of my best opponents. I can be more focused, and less clowning and I think that’s enough.
“Maybe if he chucked that punch he hit me 100 times and maybe not done any damage, but you know the one time it did and that’s all she wrote really.”
Meanwhile, Lennox Lewis, the last undisputed heavyweight champion before Usyk, backed Fury to not repeat his mistakes from the first fight.
“Fury knows what he needs to do. He’s been at the bottom, he’s been at the top, right now he’s at the bottom and he knows what he needs to do to get to the top, he knows the route to get there,” Lewis told IFLTV.
“It’s going to be a great fight, he wants to be undisputed as well. When he looks at the fight, he knows there is a couple things he should have done and he’s going to go in there and do them.”
