The upcoming fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk is set to unify all major heavyweight boxing titles in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, on Feb. 17.
The last time an undisputed heavyweight champion was crowned was in 1999, when Lennox Lewis won three major titles — the WBC, WBA, and IBF belts — by beating Evander Holyfield. Lewis later had to give up his WBA title due to a dispute over his next title defense.
This time, Fury (34-0-1) of England, the WBC champion, will face Usyk (21-0) of Ukraine, who holds the WBA, IBF, and WBO belts. Usyk was previously the undisputed champion at cruiserweight in 2018 and 2019.
The fight between Fury and Usyk, originally scheduled for Dec. 23, was delayed after Fury’s split-decision victory over MMA star Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia last month.
Fury expressed his determination to cement his legacy by defeating Usyk, whom he has previously referred to as a “middleweight.”
Usyk, coming off a defense against Daniel Dubois in Poland, stated, “I have no goal, only the way. And my way is ’The Undisputed.’ That is why this was the only fight for me. When that bell rings, I will bring the fire.”
Usyk has beaten British opponents in his last four fights, including when he won his heavyweight titles from Anthony Joshua in 2021 and defended them in a rematch in Saudi Arabia the following year.
The fight is anticipated to be a highly anticipated event in the boxing world, with both fighters expressing confidence in their abilities to emerge victorious.