The heavyweight division will crown its first undisputed champion since 1999 when Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk face off in Riyadh on May 18. The 12-round bout, plus undercard action, will air on ESPN+ and DAZN PPV in the U.S.
Fury (34-0-1) is a former British, Commonwealth, and European heavyweight champion. However, "The Gypsy King" broke free of the pack in 2015 when he dethroned the legendary Wladimir Klitschko for IBF, WBA, WBO and Ring championships. Mental health problems and a retroactive suspension from UKAD led to a two-and-half-year layoff and many thought Fury's career was over.
However, the Englishman returned to action and ultimately scored two wins over the previously unbeaten Deontay Wilder to secure the WBC championship. In his most recent fight, in October, Fury survived a third-round knockdown to score a listless 10-round split decision win over former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou.
Usyk (21-0) is a former undisputed cruiserweight champion. After moving up in weight, he beat Anthony Joshua in 2021 to become the unified heavyweight champion and then claimed The Ring title, which Fury had vacated, in a rematch. If he beats Fury, Usyk will become the fifth fighter to become undisputed in two weight classes (the others are Terence Crawford, Naoya Inoue, Claressa Shields and Katie Taylor).
WATCH: Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, exclusively on ESPN+
Calm and composed, Usyk isn’t letting Fury win the mind games, and he believes that Fury is the one who's rattled.
“Tyson Fury is the one who talks too much. The idea for this is to get into my head. But the reality is, that I am inside his head,” Usyk said on Twitterl/X via iFL TV.
There are several title bouts on the card and a host of young fighters will be competing outside of the main event.
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk undercard
The Sporting News provides a breakdown of the entire Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk undercard.
Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace
- Division/Weight: Super Featherweight
- Cordina record: 17-0
- Cacace record: 21-1
- Belts at stake: IBF super featherweight title
Joe Cordina defends the IBF super featherweight title against Anthony Cacace.
A 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist and a 2015 European amateur champion, Cordina (17-0) turned pro in 2017. The Welsh fighter beat Sean Dodd in 2018 for the Commonwealth lightweight title and Andy Towend in 2019 for the British belt. The 32-year-old then blasted out Kenichi Ogawa for the IBF super featherweight title in 2022.
There was controversy when Cordina was stripped of the belt after failing to fight mandatory challenger Shavkat Rakhimov in 2022 due to injury. Undeterred, he regained the vacant title in April 2023 by defeating Rakhimov via split decision. Cordina's last fight was a points win over Edward Vazquez in November.
Cacace (21-1) turned pro in 2012. In 2017, the talented southpaw failed to capture the British and Commonwealth super featherweight titles when he was outpointed by Martin J. Ward, but he has since won six in a row. The Irish fighter beat Sam Bowen in 2019 for the British super featherweight belt, and his last contest was a win over Damian Wrzesinski in May.
Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis 2
- Division/Weight: Cruiserweight
- Opetaia record: 24-0
- Briedis record: 28-2
- Belts at stake: IBF and Ring cruiserweight titles
Jai Opetaia faces Mairis Briedis in a rematch for the IBF and Ring cruiserweight titles.
A 2011 World Junior Championships gold medalist, Opetaia (24-0) turned pro in 2015. The Aussie beat Briedis via unanimous decision in 2022 to win the IBF and The Ring cruiserweight title. He defended the belts in September 2023 against Jordan Thompson but vacated the IBF title after taking a fight against Ellis Zorro on the Day of Reckoning boxing card in December instead of a Briedis rematch.
"I fought through absolute agony to win that belt, and it saddens me to relinquish it,” Opetaia said via ESPN. "But the fact is, Briedis isn't ready to fight on December 23, and I need to stay active. I simply can't turn down a career-high payday.”
MORE: Did Jai Opetaia knock down Tyson Fury in sparring session?
Briedis (28-2) is a four-time gold medalist at the amateur level. The Latvian turned pro in 2009 and beat Marco Huck in 2017 for the WBC cruiserweight title. He lost the belt and his unbeaten streak when he faced Oleksandr Usyk in 2018. "The Latvian Punisher" won five in a row after the Usyk loss, beating Krzysztof Glowacki for the WBO cruiserweight title, and Yuniel Dorticos in 2020 for the IBF belt. His last fight was the loss to Opetaia.
Sergey Kovalev vs. Robin Sirwan Safar
- Division/Weight: Cruiserweight
- Kovalev record: 35-4-1
- Safar record: 16-0
- Belts at stake: N/A
Further down the card is Sergey Kovalev vs. Robin Sirwan Safar.
Kovalev (35-4-1) is a two-time World Military Championships gold medalist. Turning pro in 2009, "Krusher" beat Nathan Cleverly in 2013 for the WBO light heavyweight title and Bernard Hopkins in 2014 for the IBF and WBA titles. The Russian lost the belts in 2016 to Andre Ward and failed to recapture them in a rematch. He did win the WBO belt by beating Vyacheslav Shabranskyy in 2017.
After losing the WBO title to Eleider Alvarez in 2018, he avenged the loss a year later to regain it. However, another Alvarez, boxing superstar Canelo, scored a brutal knockout over the Russian fight in November 2019. That was Kovalev’s last fight until 2022 when he defeated the unheralded Tervel Pulev.
Safar (16-0) turned pro in 2017. The Swedish fighter has won 12 fights via knockout, with his last contest being a retirement win over DeShon Webster last year.
Isaac Lowe vs. Hasibullah Ahmadi
- Division/Weight: Featherweight
- Lowe record: 24-2-3
- Ahmadi record: 16-1
- Belts at stake: N/A
In featherweight action, Isaac Lowe faces Hasibullah Ahmadi.
Stablemate and cousin of Tyson Fury, Lowe (24-2-3) turned pro in 2012. The "Westgate Warrior" beat Jamie Speight in 2015 for the English featherweight title and Marco McCullough in 2016 for the Commonwealth belt.
After losing two in a row to Luis Alberto Lopez and Nick Ball, he has bounced back with three wins. In his last contest, in December, he scored a knockout win over Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira.
MORE: Anthony Joshua saved heavyweight boxing from a disastrous 2023
Ahmadi (16-1) turned pro in 2018. Fighting out of Dubai, the 23-year-old lost in April 2023 to Dana Coolwell. He rebounded in July to defeat Sukpraserd Ponpitak.
Moses Itauma vs. Ilja Mezencev
- Division/Weight: Heavyweight
- Itauma record: 8-0
- Mezencev record: 24-3
- Belts at stake: N/A
Moses Itauma faces Ilja Mezencev in heavyweight action.
Itauma (8-0) turned pro in January of last year. The 19-year-old has won all of his fights via stoppage and is coming off a first-round knockout over Dan Graber in March.
Mezencev (24-3) turned pro in 2013. The German has gone 0-2 against Tom Schwarz, with the last bout taking place in 2019. He won four in a row before losing to Christian Demaj in July 2023.
When is Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk?
Fury and Usyk should make their way to the ring around 6 p.m. ET, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
| Region | Date | Main Card Start Time | Main Event Ring Walks (approx.) |
| USA and Canada (ET) | Saturday, May 18 | 12 p.m. ET | 6 p.m. ET |
| USA and Canada (PT) | Saturday, May 18 | 9 a.m. PT | 3 p.m. PT |
| UK and Ireland | Saturday, May 18 | 5 p.m. BST | 11 p.m. BST |
| Australia | Sunday, May 19 | 2 a.m. AEST | 8 p.m. AEST |
| Saudi Arabia | Saturday, May 18 | 7 p.m. AST | 1 a.m. AST |
WATCH: Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, live on DAZN
How to watch Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk: TV channel, live stream
In the U.S., Fury vs. Usyk will be available on DAZN PPV and ESPN+ PPV. It is available via TNT Sports Box Office in the U.K.
| Region | TV channel | Live streaming |
| United States | — | DAZN PPV, ESPN+ PPV, PPV.com |
| Canada | — | PPV.com |
| UK and Ireland | — | TNT Sports Box Office, DAZN PPV |
| Australia | — | DAZN PPV |
If Fury vs. Usyk is not available to watch live in your location or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs provide a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.
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Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk PPV price: How much does the fight cost?
- PPV price on DAZN: $69.99
- PPV price on TNT Sports PPV: £24.99
- DAZN monthly subscription: $19.99 on a 12-month contract or $24.99 month-to-month in U.S./ $24.99 per month in Canada/ £9.99 in the U.K. on a 12-month contract, or £19.99 month-to-month/ 13.99 AUD in Australia.
- DAZN annual subscription: $224.99 in the U.S., $199.99 in Canada, and £99.99 in the U.K.
You can pay $10.99 for a monthly subscription to ESPN+ or buy an annual subscription for $109.99.
| Product | Prices |
|---|---|
| ESPN+ Monthly Subscription | $10.99/mo |
| ESPN+ Annual Subscription | $109.99/yr |
| The Disney Bundle w/Hulu Ad-Supported | $14.99/mo |
| The Disney Bundle w/Hulu No-Ads | $24.99/mo |
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