Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury 2 news: Gypsy King hoping revenge tastes sweet

It’s that time of year again - no, not Christmas…heavyweight boxing title time. Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury are set to face off once again on Saturday, December 21.

Sports News Blitz’s boxing expert Sam Condy analyses the fight and what to expect.

Close first meeting

The bout, taking place in Riyadh Saudi Arabia, will see the two rematch after a close first meeting saw Usyk crowned the victor.

As is becoming the new normal under the great minds at Riyadh Season, the whole card is stacked.

‘The Black Panther’ Ishmael Davis will face off against Ukrainian Super Welter Serhii Bohachuk in what will likely prove to be a title eliminator.

Elsewhere on the card, promising British heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma is set to lock horns with Demsey McKean. The Aussie is a big step up in class for Itauma, having ring experience with the likes of Filip Hrgovic.

Main event

Back to the main event, Fury will be hoping the story unfolds in his favour this time around. ‘The Gypsy King’ was ahead on every scorecard heading into the eighth, but then the tides turned.

The constant pressure from his Ukrainian counterpart seemed to have got the better of him, with the former champ looking winded, and on unsteady legs.

It went from bad to worse in the ninth. Usyk landed a sharp left-hand counter that saw Fury spend the next 20 seconds stumbling around the ring fighting to keep his feet under him.

A barrage of punches from Usyk eventually proved too much, with the referee stepping in to award the fight's only knockdown.

Fury survived to the final bell, and while he recovered well from the knockdown, it was mostly one-way traffic from that point onwards.

Usyk had his hand raised and was crowned undisputed heavyweight champion via a tight but fair split decision.

Undisputed ruler

The fight saw the heavyweight division with its first undisputed ruler since Lennox Lewis.

After a quarter century of waiting there was now one man at the top.

This didn’t last long. Unfortunately, the IBF stripped Usyk of their title, as he had no interest in facing their mandatory challenger, with a rematch clause already being triggered.

While Daniel Dubois currently holds the IBF belt, there is no doubt about it, this Saturday the true heavyweight king will once again be decided.

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