After Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have finished punch swapping at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on May 18, boxing will crown its first undisputed heavyweight champion in a quarter of a century. It simply doesn’t get any bigger than this.
The 12-round bout, plus undercard action, will be broadcast by DAZN in the U.S.
Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) is the reigning WBC champion. With career-defining wins over Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder, the 35-year-old switch-hitter has won everything there is to win at heavyweight and a victory over Usyk would be the cherry on top of his Hall of Fame cake.
WATCH: Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, live on DAZN
Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) holds IBF, WBA, WBO and Ring Magazine championships. A quick-fisted southpaw, Usyk, 37, made his bones at cruiserweight by becoming undisputed champion. If the Ukrainian wizard can repeat that feat at heavyweight, then he will establish himself as one of the sport's all-time greats.
The Sporting News provides betting odds and a final prediction for one of the most significant heavyweight championship fights in boxing history:
Fury vs. Usyk betting odds
Per Bet MGM, Fury is the -110 favourite while Usyk is the +100 underdog.
Fury vs. Usyk betting trends
- Fury via KO/TKO/Tech. Dec/DQ: +333
- Fury via decision: +200
- Usyk via KO/TKO/Tech. Dec/ DQ: +450
- Usyk via decision: +175
- Draw: +1400
Fury vs. Usyk prediction, best bets
After Fury’s performance against Francis Ngannou, this fight has become very difficult to call.
Was “The Gypsy King” simply ill-prepared or was his razor-thin points win over the former UFC champ a sign that he’s slipping? If Fury has begun to fall off the cliff as a fighter, then Usyk is the wrong opponent to be against and this could be a long night.
From what we’ve seen of Fury’s preparation, he looks to be in excellent fighting shape. However, conditioning will only take you so far. The WBC’s champ’s timing and reflexes will have to be on point for him to be effective against the perpetually mobile and sharp-shooting Usyk.
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If Fury is on form, then I foresee him winning a close points verdict in a fight that could get untidy. The Englishman is very adept at using his physical advantages to tire out the opposition and he’ll be going after Usyk’s body relentlessly on the inside.
On the outside, Usyk will find it more difficult to score than he did against Anthony Joshua. At his best, Fury has excellent judgment of distance and he has enormous advantages in height and reach here. He’s also one of the smartest fighters in boxing and has a unique capacity to minimize an opponent’s strengths.
Fury will know that Usyk needs distance and time to set up his arsenal. He can’t bite on Usyk’s feint game and fall into the usual traps. The bigger man must fight at his own pace, punish Usyk at every opportunity, and bully him out of the fight.
Sporting News prediction: Fury SD 12 (+200 Per BetMGM)
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