OLEKSANDR Usyk looks to break British hearts yet again as he collides with Tyson Fury for the second time in Saudi Arabia’s capital this Saturday evening.
Ukrainian southpaw Usyk (22-0-0) boasts a perfect record in the ring and his last five wins have all come at the expense of British heavyweights. A run which started back in 2020 when he outpointed Derek Chisora in a somewhat surprisingly close affair.
A further two consecutive decision victories over former unified champ Anthony Joshua and a ninth-round stoppage over Daniel Dubois set up the first colossal matchup with the ‘The Gypsy King’.
In May’s historic main event between Usyk and Fury, labelled ‘Ring of Fire’, it was the Ukrainian who was victorious, claiming a split decision victory becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999.
Fury aims to get revenge in December and can end a winless run for British fighters against the modern-day great Usyk. However, this time round, there is no undisputed championship on the line after Usyk relinquished the IBF title, which Dubois subsequently won in September.
The winner of December’s duel could go on to face the IBF title holder next year in another undisputed title clash.
6’9” Fury (34-1-1) tasted defeat for the first time as a professional when he lost to Usyk in May, but in the fight, he again showed his miraculous powers of recovery when he was badly hurt in the ninth round. Such ability to recover from troubling moments in fights prolonged Fury’s undefeated record, coming through adversity twice against Deontay Wilder and recuperating from heavy knockdowns against Steve Cunningham and Francis Ngannou.
Usyk has proven mighty difficult to beat across his 22 pro fights and has amassed one of the best resumes in boxing during his title runs at both cruiserweight and heavyweight. He has taken five fighters’ undefeated records, including Fury’s, hence why ‘The Gypsy King’ wants to return the favour on December 21.
‘Reignited’ is the name given to December’s bout between Usyk and Fury and fight fans hope that the historic rematch will serve up a thrilling early Christmas present.
