There will be a rematch between Usik and Fury! The second fight should turn out differently.
May 29, 2024, 15:45 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
This time there will be no overall championship at stake.
More recently, on May 18, a great evening of professional boxing took place in Riyadh. He was graced by the fight for the title of absolute world heavyweight champion between Alexander Usik and Tyson Fury.
In general, expectations from the battle were justified. There was tension and excitement, the boxers took turns taking the initiative and Fury came back once again after a powerful knockdown. They talked about a rematch long before the first fight and even tentatively planned for it to take place in October. Usik’s split decision victory only added to the rumors about the need for a second fight.
Fight against Usyk – Fury
Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images
And Fury himself stated that he considers himself a winner: “I think I won this fight. I agree that Usyk won several rounds, but I took more. We both had a good fight. Make no mistake, I won this fight. But we have a revenge clause. And we’ll do it again in October.”
Fury’s promoter Bob Arum later announced the activation of the rematch clause. And now the president of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, Turki Al al-Sheikh, has officially announced the date: “The rematch between absolute heavyweight champion Alexander Usik and former champion Tyson Fury is scheduled for 21 December 2024 in Riyadh. The world will see another historic battle. We hope you enjoy it.”
Could Fury still return?
Fury is no longer the same. The Gypsy King came out without excess weight, but he felt very unwell
So, a great revenge is already being prepared for the end of the year, where everyone will be waiting for the same brilliant fight. Fury must prepare even better this time, as the first defeat of his professional career was obviously a blow to the Briton’s pride. Tyson will do everything he can to make the fight completely different. For example, he won’t waste time on a funny Muhammad Ali parody, but will take the fight even more seriously. Fury had already said that he could have improved at the end of the fight, but he thought he was winning. And Usik has the chance to prove that his victory was no coincidence and finally send Fury to rest.
An important nuance: most likely, this fight will no longer be for the title of absolute world champion. Which, of course, is a drawback from the point of view of the sign and its volume, but there is even logic in this. The IBF threatens to strip Usyk of the belt and play the vacant title between Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois. The winner will have to face Anthony Joshua in September.
Can Usik get a break before the rematch?
Usyk asks to postpone the mandatory defense. What are the chances of remaining the absolute champion?
And now imagine the ideal situation for promoters and fans. Joshua becomes world champion, claims the remaining belts and gives Saudi Arabia another big fight, whether it’s a high-profile meeting with Fury or a trilogy with Usik. Both designs look promising and are definitely louder than other options.
But now all the attention will be focused on Usik and Fury again, they have time to fully prepare and everything should turn out great again. The Saudi sheikhs continue to change the world of boxing.
