Organizers announced that Tyson Fury will face fellow competitor Oleksandr Usyk for the unification of the heavyweight boxing world titles in Riyadh on February 17. The British Fury is the current champion of the World Boxing Council, while the Ukrainian Usyk holds the belts of the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Organization, the International Boxing Federation, and the International Boxing Organization. Both fighters have undefeated records.
Contracts were signed in September with the aim of staging the bout on a proposed date of December 23, but that date was never confirmed and was ultimately retracted after what appeared to be an impending defeat for Fury against former mixed martial arts heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in a non-title fight that took place in Saudi Arabia on October 28. Fury won against Ngannou by points in a surprising turn of events, avoiding his first professional loss against a competitor who is 37 years old and has never boxed at a professional level before.
The last undisputed heavyweight boxing champion was British boxer Lennox Lewis in 1999, but this time there will be four titles on the line. Following the announcement, a tense confrontation occurred between the boxers during a press conference, which eventually led to them being separated.
Fury, 35 years old, stated, "Welcome... you are sharing the ring with the future undisputed heavyweight champion... that’s me." He added, "You know what’s going to happen, you’re going to get cut to pieces. You’re facing the best British heavyweight boxer of all time."
Usyk, 36 years old, responded that he hadn’t heard anything Fury said and would focus on the match. He stated, "When God gives me the opportunity to face Tyson, I will do my job." Later, Usyk mentioned that he sees the fight as a chance to give back to everyone who has supported him. He declared, "It’s a great opportunity, to be the undisputed world champion, for my family, my country, and the people who are defending my country now."
