EDDIE HEARN uttered words Thursday that Matchroom Boxing’s chairman never would’ve believed he’d say not all that long ago.
Hearn didn’t simply pick one of his favorite targets, Tyson Fury, to defeat Oleksandr Usyk in their heavyweight championship rematch Saturday night. The former bitter rival of Fury’s longtime promoter, Frank Warren, actually admitted that he will cheer for Fury to win from his ringside seat inside Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“Regarding the main event, as I said to my friend, Alex Krassyuk, earlier, I’ve got a lotta history with Oleksandr Usyk,” a smirking Hearn said in reference to Usyk’s promoter during their final press conference in Riyadh. “But I am backing Tyson Fury. Of course, he’s the Brit. I’ve become fond of the gentleman next to me as well, Spencer Brown, and the team.”
Naturally, Hearn has his business-related reasons for backing Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) to win their 12-round rematch for Usyk’s WBA, WBC, WBO and IBO titles. Ukraine’s Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) has beaten the superstar of Hearn’s promotional stable, Anthony Joshua, in two title fights.
A win by Fury might also lead to the long-awaited showdown between Fury and Joshua, who would need to win a fight or two to regenerate interest in what would be an epic English event that would sell out Wembley Stadium quickly.
Whatever his rationale, Hearn thinks Fury will avenge the lone loss of his professional career – a 12-round, split-decision defeat to Usyk on May 18 at Kingdom Arena.
“The one thing I’ll say,” Hearn explained, “people ask me all the time, ‘Who’s gonna win this fight?’ … I said this, ‘Oleksandr Usyk is an incredible fighter. And it will take something extraordinary to beat him on Saturday night.’ But, and I know we’ve had our differences, Tyson Fury is capable of extraordinary things. I think his victory against Wladimir Klitschko in Germany – I watched that in a hotel, on a laptop in America. I thought he had absolutely no chance. He won every single round.
“When he fought Deontay Wilder in America, I thought he had absolutely no chance. He was robbed in the first fight [a split draw]. He smashed him to pieces in the second fight. Two generational, great heavyweights. Two credits to the sport. May God bless you both on Saturday night. But most of all, I can’t believe I’m saying it, may Tyson Fury be victorious on Saturday night for Britain.”
The second bout between Usyk, 37, and Fury, 36, will headline a pay-per-view show available exclusively via DAZN (£24.99 in the UK; $39.99 in the United States).
