Fury, Usyk unification bout moved to February 17 in Riyadh
Following the cancellation of a planned December 23. heavyweight championship fight between WBC champion, Tyson Fury, and fellow divisional gold holder, Oleksandr Usyk, the unification showdown between the two division elites is now slated for February 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Loquacious Fury, the incumbent WBC heavyweight champion, was expected to fight Ukraine champion and fan-favorite, Usyk in an end-of-year title unification fight in the Middle East, following his professional boxing match against former UFC heavyweight gold holder and mixed martial arts star, Francis Ngannou in Riyadh last month.
Landing a close and hugely controversial split decision win over the Cameroonian knockout artist, Morecambe native, Fury, who suffered a third-round knockdown against Ngannou, also was left dealing with significant swelling and lacerations following the surprising showdown.
As a result, a planned unification bout between Fury and Usyk was almost immediately scrapped by the Brit’s promoter, Frank Warren, who confirmed the bout would now instead take place next year.
According to a report from ESPN, Fury’s championship unification fight with Usyk will now instead take place on February 17 next year– with the pairing remaining intact for Saudi Arabia.
“The Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship will take place on Feb. 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, sources told ESPN.
In 2021 and 2022, Usyk would land championship victories over another British heavyweight talent, Anthony Joshua – first in a title win and a subsequent successful championship defense.
