Two of the best boxers in the world, Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, are set to clash at the end of this month in a huge title rematch for almost all of the marbles in the heavyweight division. Following a fantastic fight back in May, the two heavyweights are ready for a showdown again in Saudi Arabia. In the first clash, Usyk won via split decision over Fury, after scoring some early fight momentum. Although Fury was able to recover and rally, the judges awarded Usyk the split decision victory with scores of 115-112, 113-113, and 114-113 per one article. Additionally, in this matchup, CompuBox suggested Usyk had landed 170 of 407 punches (41.8%) compared to Fury’s 157 of 496 (31.7%). With the heavyweight titles again on the line (aside from the IBF strap), this should be an amazing matchup to close the year.
In this article, SBS will be going over what to look for from each of these fighters along with a predicted winner and some additional thoughts and notes regarding boxing wagering.
Noted above, the Ukrainian fighter was able to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era and the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years with the win over Fury, per sources. Usyk of course has had a sensational amount of success in his career with a current record of 22-0 and 14 knockout victories. In his last couple of bouts, he has been electric. This includes a ninth-round knockout victory over Daniel Dubois in Poland back in August of 2023. Prior to that, he had a sensational series against Anthony Joshua that saw the fighter score two great victories, one being a unanimous decision (2021) and then a split decision in a classic rematch in 2022.
Going into this fight, Usyk certainly has a large target on his back, but The Cat of course has had answers for each opponent he has faced so far in his career. Fury does present matchup problems given his tremendous size and power. However, in the last fight, Usyk found success in the opening rounds applying constant pressure and landing power punches early on. In a back-and-forth affair, the Ukrainian champion was able to mount a comeback in the ninth round where he was able to hurt Fury with a series of punches, scoring a knockdown in the process. Certainly, both fighters are excellent at knockouts, but Usyk seemed to have figured out Fury in the first fight.
A combatant that needs little introduction, Fury is one of the most charismatic and decorated fighters of this century. Noted before, but is worth repeating, he has held multiple world championships in the heavyweight division, including unified titles from 2015 to 2016. In multiple big-time matchups, he has excelled. This includes in 2015 against Wladimir Klitschko where his victory was named Upset of the Year and earned him Fighter of the Year honors by The Ring. Additionally, with his defeat of Deontay Wilder, he became the third heavyweight champion ever to hold The Ring magazine title twice and was widely considered by media outlets to be the lineal heavyweight champion.
In the last matchup against Usyk, Fury was able to score some pretty significant shots throughout the fight. Starting in round dour, Fury “became increasingly dominant,” appearing to hurt Usyk with uppercuts in round six being the trademark highlight. However, as noted above, Fury was knocked down later in the fight by his opponent. Although the Gypsy King was able to recover to some degree and attempted to rally, the judges ultimately awarded the matchup to Usyk. With this loss, Fury sustained the first loss of his professional career, dropping his overall record to a still sensational 34-1-1. The only draw in his career came against Deontay Wilder back in December 2018 in an iconic matchup. Of course, this matchup presents an interesting scenario for Fury as an opportunity to bounce back here as he had never had to do so before in his career.
This matchup will again go down to the wire with fighters presenting some complete skillsets. That said, Usyk should be able to score the win here if he is able to get to most of his spots like he did in the last matchup.
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About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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