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TYSON FURY has arrived in Saudi Arabia six weeks before he is due to fight Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed crown.

Fury faces Usyk in the heavyweight division’s first ever four-belt title unification on February 17 in Riyadh.

He began his camp in Morecambe but has now touched down in the Middle East to continue training – much to the delight of his fans.

One said: “He is taking this very seriously. Getting there weeks before the fight to acclimatise to Saudi fully.

“Adjusting to every tiny detail like he is at home. Smart choice.”

Another added: “If he’s there that early he is taking very seriously. Let’s go the gypsy king.”

One hailed: “Yeah get acclimated early, ain’t no time to be f*****g around.”

Another said: “No question that he’s taking it seriously.”

Fury spent Christmas with wife Paris and his seven kids, but swerved a New Year’s celebration at home to get preparations under way.

He almost suffered a disastrous and embarrassing defeat against ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou, 37, the last time he was in Saudi in October.

Tyson Fury

Fury, 35, was dropped by the massive underdog and deemed fortunate to walk away with a controversial win on the scorecards.

He touched down in Saudi only a week before that fight, but things look to be different for the historic unification with Usyk, 36.

His own dad John hit out at his training camp for the Ngannou fight and claimed even now it is a “CIRCUS”.

John even said his son’s training camp showed he was “in decline”, leading to fears he could be outclassed by Usyk.

But Fury’s Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren was quick to speak out in defence of the undefeated WBC champion.

Warren told Boxing Social: “Tyson’s the guy getting in the ring. His dad has obviously got his views. Everybody’s got a view.

“Obviously his dad cares about him but, at the end of the day, Tyson’s getting in the ring and it’s his decision who he has to train him.”

 

2024 in boxing is bound to be even better than 2023. It’s supposed to be a collision of titans. Tyson Fury against Oleksandr UsykErrol Spence Jr. facing Terence Crawford again. Intrigued yet? Imagine Canelo Alvarez stepping into the ring with Crawford. Or the light heavyweight mastery of Artur Beterbiev versus Dmitry Bivol. Every punch, a story.

Every round, history in the making. Devin HaneyRyan GarciaGervonta Davis – names echoing in arenas. And what about the unusual? YouTube sensations like KSI and Jake Paul in professional bouts. Anthony Joshua, a legend, possibly clashing with Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury. 2024 is not just fights; it’s a saga of fists and glory. Let’s see what fights we are bound to see.

Heavyweight history and welterweight warfare on the brink of happening

Firstly, let’s delve into the heavyweight realm, where Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set to create ripples in the boxing world. Scheduled for February 17 in Riyadh, this bout is more than a fight; it’s a chapter of heavyweight history waiting to be written. Fury, the towering WBC champion, and Usyk, holding the WBAWBO, and IBF titles, both boast undefeated records. This clash isn’t just about the belts; it’s a battle for legacy and undisputed status.

Meanwhile, in the welterweight division, Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. are reigniting their fiery rivalry. Their first encounter left fans craving more, and the rematch has been set in stone. Crawford, the pound-for-pound king, and Spence Jr., a formidable force in the ring, are set to clash in a fight that could redefine welterweight supremacy. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and the boxing world eagerly awaits this sequel.

In the domain of light heavyweight pugilism, an epic encounter looms on the horizon: the unification bout between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry BivolBeterbiev, the reigning IBF/WBC/WBO champion, and Bivol, the custodian of the WBA title, are poised for a confrontation that augurs to blend technical acumen with raw might. This bout transcends mere title unification; it’s an opportunity for these warriors to inscribe their legacies in the venerable chronicles of light heavyweight lore.

In the lightweight echelon, an enthralling contest is set to unfold as Devin Haney confronts Ryan Garcia. Tracing their rivalry back to their fledgling amateur days, this professional showdown represents the zenith of a protracted competitive saga. Their history is marked by 6 previous encounters, each standing at an equilibrium of three victories apiece. This seventh fray promises to be the decisive tiebreaker, establishing the superior combatant.

Now let’s look at the bouts that should happen in 2024.

Potential blockbusters: Fights that could electrify the boxing world

Transitioning from the realm of certainty to possibility, several tantalizing matchups loom on the horizon, capturing the imagination of boxing aficionados. Among them, the prospect of Canelo Alvarez facing Terence Crawford stands out. This fight, if materialized, would be a fascinating cross-weight class battle. Canelo, the undisputed super middleweight champion, against Crawford, a versatile and skilled tactician, promises a clash of styles and sheer boxing prowess.

Furthermore, the lightweight division might witness an explosive encounter between Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis. This potential bout represents a classic power vs. precision matchup. Words, harsh words have been exchanged between them and their teams. Haney’s father even mocked Davis by calling a chimpanzee ‘Abdul Wahid’, which is the name Davis took after he changed his faith to Islam. This makes this fight not just about titles; but a little more personal.

KSI vs Jake Paul is a matchup that the whole YouTube community has been waiting to see. 2024 would be the perfect time to make it happen. Both have lost to the same person, Tommy Fury. Jake has avenged his loss by beating Andre August, another professional boxer. KSI is yet to have a boxing match since his loss to Fury.

On the heavyweight front, a potential fight between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder was a done deal for March 2024. But Wilder’s recent loss against Parker made it difficult for him to pursue Joshua, as mentioned by Eddie Hearn, “It’s ruined our plans. The future is not Deontay Wilder.”

Moreover, the long-anticipated Joshua vs. Fury fight remains a dream for many. This British heavyweight duel, if it comes to fruition, would not only be a high-profile fight but also a battle for national pride and historical significance. Each of these potential matchups carries its unique flavor and significance, promising to make 2024 a year to remember in the boxing world.

CARL FROCH has raised concerns over Tyson Fury and backed Oleksandr Usyk to win their undisputed super-fight.

Fury comes into the bout having controversially beaten ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou in their crossover clash in October.

He was even dropped by the boxing debutant and had to escape with a split-decision win.

It backdated his unification bout with Usyk from December to February 17 and former super-middleweight champion Froch fears the worst.

He told talkSPORT: “2024 is going to be a fantastic year. Hopefully with a close humdinger with Fury and Usyk.

“I’m picking Usyk for that one, just because of where Tyson Fury is mentally.

“Hopefully Fury can have a good camp and rekindle some of his old greatness in terms of when he fought Deontay Wilder three times.

“He looked good, he looked different every time. I don’t know, that’s gone now. He struggles to get the weight off him.

“He seems under-motivated. When he fought Ngannou he looked confused. Has he got old overnight?

“Hopefully he turns up and gets the job done, because I want those titles to return to Britain, but at the minute I think Usyk wins that fight.”

Fury, 35, has now arrived in Riyadh to continue his training to fight Usyk, 36, with just under two months to go.

It comes after his dad John called his camp a “circus” which is “in decline”.

And Fury’s promotional team also refused to rule out a future rematch with Ngannou, 37, after he “took it lightly”.

 

Boxing promoter Frank Warren has claimed Anthony Joshua has had two chances to fight Tyson Fury.

However, that ship appears to have sailed with the duo currently unlikely to ever face each other.

Joshua is currently preparing for Saturday night, with the 34-year-old primed to face Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia.

Fury, meanwhile, is gearing up for his fight with Oleksandr Usyk on February 17.

And Warren has now claimed Joshua has twice had the chance to fight Fury – only for neither party to ever find an agreement.

When asked about a potential showdown between the two Britons, the 71-year-old said: “He’d have a long wait for Tyson.

“Tyson’s got his fight and his programme’s set out for next year and at this moment in time doesn’t include Joshua.

“Joshua, he had two opportunities to fight him [Fury], one last December and this year.

Anthony Joshua And Tyson Fury 1

“Those fights didn’t happen for whatever reason and the situation is now that we are in a position where a number of big fights will be announced.

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“It all depends what happens on Saturday.”

Warren does, however, expect Joshua to seek a fight with Deontay Wilder if the pair win their respective fights at the weekend.

Wilder is also preparing to box in Saudi, with the American scheduled to go up against Joseph Parker.

And Warren added: “The joint-main events have a lot of significance as far as boxing’s concerned in as much that Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder are involved in quite tasty and tough fights and should they come through then they’re going to be in a position where I believe they’re going to be facing off next year.

“That’s a massive, massive fight.

“A fight that a lot of people, certainly the fans talk about a lot.

“But to get there they’ve got to get through next Saturday night in Riyadh.

Anthony Joshua And Tyson Fury 1

“Get it out of the way on Saturday and all will be revealed but there’s a will to make this happen and I’m quite sure everybody’s going to be happy with the outcome provided these guys deliver.

“The most important thing for them, they’ve got to deliver.”

Meanwhile, Wallin recently discussed his upcoming showdown with Joshua.

He expressed a belief that, while Joshua remains one of the best figures in the sport, he’s also now a man past his best.He said: “I would say he is still one of the best heavyweights out there and he’s made an amazing career for himself.”There has been a decline and I think he has reached his peak already.

“I think he is mentally fragile, he’s not sure of himself.”He’s changed trainer and I think things can be very tough for him.”People are very critical of him, he’s got a lot of pressure. So I think that weighs on him.”

When asked about Joshua changing his trainer, he continued: “I think it’s a problem for him, for sure.”I’ve had my trainer now for 10 years.”We know each other really well. We trust each other in and out of the ring.

“He’s been with me for all of my pro fights except two, so it’s really been a good journey together and it’s fantastic we get this chance now to prove to everyone what we’ve been working on.

“For Joshua, it’s hard. When you keep changing trainer, it’s usually a bad sign and I think it’s a bad sign for him too.”

Former two-time world champion Anthony Joshua has fired off some verbal jabs at his domestic rival, Tyson Fury, over his most recent performance against MMA veteran Francis Ngannou.

Fury has often referred to Joshua as being nothing more than a “bodybuilder” with limited skills.

However, Joshua believes that a bodybuilder, Ngannou, taught Fury a lesson.

“Bodybuilders up, dossers down. He just looked like a flat slob that just can’t fight. He says that bodybuilders can’t fight, but he got smacked up by one. I’ve always wanted to get in the ring with him. He does a lot of talking, calls me a bodybuilder and stuff, but I want to marvel at the African power – he’s a bodybuilder, steps in and smacks him up for me,” Joshua told TNT Sports Boxing.

Back in October, Fury faced Ngannou in a cr

Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou

ossover boxing match in Saudi Arabia. Fury was dropped in the third round, suffered a cut on his forehead from an uppercut, a badly bruised eye and he struggled with the style of Ngannou. After ten rounds, Fury came away with a razor-close ten round split decision win in a fight that most had expected to be a mismatch.

Joshua felt Ngannou did enough to pull off an upset.

“I think Ngannou won,” Joshua said. “But the judges are there for a reason, they score it how they score it and they’re professionals at what they do and I’m just an observer. Fury won, but from a fan’s point of view, I think Ngannou won.”

On December 23, Joshua will face Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia. Wallin’s sole defeat came at the hands of Fury. A win over Walling will place Joshua in position for a potential 2024 clash with Deontay Wilder, who appears in the co-feature in a crossroads clash against Joseph Parker.

Tyson Fury and his brothers must pay nearly £100,000 after a judge ruled they owed unpaid business rates in a row over land used as a car park.

Cheshire East Council argued the sum was due on land owned by the boxing champion and his brothers John and Shane near Manchester Airport.

Their representatives said they were not liable because they rented out the land to be run as an airport car park.

The boxer’s father John appeared at the hearing at Chester Magistrates Court.

District judge John McGarva said the family’s evidence was “wholly unsatisfactory” partly because none of the brothers were present in court.

Their father said his son paid “millions of pounds in tax each year” and assertions that the fighter had “anything to do” with the land in Styal were “ridiculous”.

Tyson Fury

The boxer and his brothers were ordered to pay the council £82,000 in unpaid rates and £17,000 in court costs.

The land on Moss Lane in Styal was transferred by John Fury to his sons in 2010 but the family’s defence counsel Martin Budworth argued their father was still “the effective controller of operations on the site”.

John Fury had rented it out to tenants Holiday Car Parks Manchester Ltd, meaning the brothers would not be liable for the bill, he claimed.

The court heard the brothers had been issued with Cheshire East Council demands for unpaid business rates owed since April 2021, totalling £82,166.

Mr Fury said he was “the man of that land” and his sons had “nothing to do with it”.

Describing himself as “semi-illiterate”, he said: “I’m a boxing coach. I had no knowledge of any of this. This technical stuff it’s not my field.

“I try to keep away from paperwork because I’ve no understanding. I don’t want to embarrass myself in public.”

Cheshire East Council business rates manager Helen Sefton said they could find “no evidence” that Holiday Car Parks Manchester Limited was trading from the land.

In his ruling, Judge McGarva said evidence produced to demonstrate the land was being used by the company was “wholly conflicted”.

The judge called Holiday Car Parks Manchester Limited director Babikir Elmosbah a “wholly unreliable witness”.

Tyson Fury grew up in Styal before moving to Wythenshawe in Manchester.

The court heard he and his family are on holiday in Saudi Arabia, where he is due to fight Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title next year.

The boxing landscape is arguably as intriguing as it has ever been.

The past several years have seen heavyweight epics for the ages between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, they have seen Saul “Canelo” Alvarez establish himself as the face of the sport in the eyes of many fans, and they have seen frequent displays of technical brilliance from champions in lighter weight classes.

There have been upsets, title unifications, and there has been no shortage of drama – Anthony Joshua’s post-fight rant after a second loss to Oleksandr Usyk stands out as a prime example.

While there is no exact science to putting together lists such as this, a number of factors have been considered in making the rankings, including each fighter’s overall record, recent record, level of activity and calibre of opposition.

shakur

The Independent’s pound-for-pound rankings

10. Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs)

The American, 26, was already a two-weight world champion by the time he was 24. Now Stevenson is a rising force at lightweight, as he looks to build upon his significant success at featherweight – where he was WBO champion – and super-featherweight, where he was unified champion. In his most recent fight, in November, Stevenson won an admittedly dull contest with Edwin De Los Santos, but that kept him unbeaten and saw him win the WBC interim lightweight title, which has been upgraded since Devin Haney vacated his undisputed belts. Clashes with Gervonta Davis (who narrowly misses out on this list), Ryan Garcia and Haney are alluring prospects. So is a fight with the next man in these rankings…

9. Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs)

The Ukrainian southpaw (one of two on this list…) saw off Jorge Linares in 2018 to become a three-weight title holder, before adding further belts with notable wins against the likes of Luke Campbell and Jose Pedraza. “Loma” was somewhat surprisingly beaten by Teofimo Lopez in 2020, but the 35-year-old bounced back with three straight wins to maintain his status as one of the best boxers in the world. The two-time Olympic champion is in the twilight of his career now, which only made his terrific showing against No 7 on this list even more impressive. Lomachenko came up narrowly short, but many observers felt that he had won.

8. Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs)

Tyson Fury

Has eclipsed Anthony Joshua as the household name in British boxing. Fury, 35, returned to the sport in 2018 after three years off due to a struggle with his mental health. Since then, he has established himself as one of his generation’s best heavyweights, dethroning Deontay Wilder to become WBC champion in the pair’s 2020 rematch, having controversially drawn with the American in their first clash, in 2018.

In October 2021, Fury stopped Wilder for the second fight in a row to retain the belt, which he did again in April 2022 by knocking out Dillian Whyte with ease and once more in December with a late stoppage of Derek Chisora. A creative fighter who has demonstrated resilience and heart in the ring, Fury previously held the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles and will look to regain them in a fight with Oleksandr Usyk in 2024.

However, that bout – to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years – was almost derailed when Fury was knocked down by Francis Ngannou in October, before the “Gypsy King” scraped his way to a controversial decision over the MMA star. The image of Fury on the canvas in that fight will be attached to his career forever, having damaged his reputation and seen him drop a number of spots in this list.

7. Errol Spence Jr (28-1, 22 KOs)

Errol Spence

The American has not been the most active fighter in recent years, but he slowly built a fine resume as one of the top welterweights of this generation. Spence Jr holds impressive wins against the likes of Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Danny Garcia and Carlos Ocampo. The southpaw stopped the latter, as well as notably finishing Kell Brook on the Briton’s home turf earlier in his career, and a cancelled clash with Manny Pacquiao would surely have built up Spence even further had it come to fruition.

6. Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs)

In July, the 33-year-old finally faced Terence Crawford in a clash five years in the making

Entered our list in May 2022, following his stunning victory over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The Russian remained unbeaten and retained the WBA light-heavyweight title with that result, which he achieved by fighting on the front foot, picking his shots wisely, and almost doubling the output of his opponent. Bivol, 32, won by two points on all three judges’ scorecards, though the margins should have been much wider. A clinical showing that raised the Russian’s profile immensely and likely sets up a rematch with Canelo down the line. Before that, though, Bivol was tasked with getting past the unbeaten Gilberto Ramirez in November. Bivol won on points with an aggressive and sharp performance, which saw him a few spots here. Next up for him? Lyndon Arthur on 23 December.

5. Devin Haney (31-0, 15 knockouts)

, where he put his unified titles on the line against the WBO champion. Crawford left Las Vegas with all the belts after stopping Spence in Round 9, in a fight that was nowhere near as close as fans expected. As a result, Crawford climbed this list, while Spence dropped from No 5.

The unbeaten American entered our list following his second straight clinic against George Kambosos Jr. Haney eased to a unanimous-decision win against the Australian on Kambosos’ home turf in June 2022 to become undisputed champion at lightweight, before retaining that status in the pair’s rematch in October – also in Melbourne. The 25-year-old then edged past Lomachenko with a close decision win in May, before vacating the undisputed belts in December. That move came ahead of his fight with Regis Prograis, in which Haney dropped his compatriot and won every round to take the WBC super-lightweight belt – making Haney a two-weight world champion.

4. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs)

In the 10 years since his loss to Floyd Mayweather, the Mexican has established himself as the face of boxing, with wins against Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan, Gennadiy Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs, Billy Joe Saunders, Jermell Charlo and many more. The effectiveness of the 33-year-old’s counter-punching, slickness of his head movement and beauty of his body work make him a joy to watch.

Detractors will point to Alvarez’s clenbuterol controversy in 2018 and the fact that a few of his victories have come via controversial scorecards. Supporters will give more credence to Canelo’s admirable level of activity and the great number of formidable foes he has faced. His three victories in 2021 – all stoppages – saw him become boxing’s first ever undisputed super-middleweight champion. A title holder in four weight classes, the Mexican failed to add a second light-heavyweight belt to his collection when he was outpointed by unbeaten Russian Bivol in May 2022.

That result marked just the second defeat of Canelo’s professional career and saw him drop from No 1 in our list. He rebounded with a decisive points win against ageing rival Golovkin, though that result proved little at this point. The ambitious Mexican then defended his super-middleweight belts against John Ryder in Guadalajara, dropping the Briton en route to a decision win. Next up for Canelo was the younger Charlo twin in September, when Alvarez again scored a knockdown and won on points to retain his gold.

3. Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs)

An Olympic gold medalist who reigned as the only undisputed cruiserweight champion of the four-belt era before moving up to heavyweight, where he became WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO champion in 2021 by outpointing Anthony Joshua with relative ease. The Ukrainian, 36, then beat Joshua on points again to retain his titles and stay unbeaten. In August, the southpaw stopped Daniel Dubois after recovering from a controversial ‘low blow’, again demonstrating that he is as technical and awkward as they come in the heavier weight classes. That makes his upcoming clash with Fury an intriguing prospect.

2. Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs)

The unified welterweight champion has one of the most impressive resumes in the sport, and it just keeps getting better. Five of the American’s last 11 opponents were undefeated before facing him, and all 11 were stopped by Crawford – who has a tremendous knockout ratio. Wins against big-name boxers Brook and Porter in 2020 and 2021 further enhanced the 35-year-old’s profile, especially his victory over the latter, before Crawford stopped David Avanesyan in December 2022.

Then, in July, he schooled Errol Spence Jr in what was widely billed as the fight of the decade, delivering a masterclass to expose a bigger gap between the Americans than anyone had predicted. In beating Spence in Round 9 after scoring three knockdowns, Crawford took his rival’s three titles to become undisputed. The victory also made “Bud” the first man in boxing history to become undisputed champion in two weight classes, following his brief reign atop the super-lightweight division in 2017. He has since been stripped of his IBF welterweight title ahead of a planned rematch with Spence, so is technically not undisputed anymore, but that feels like a harsh mark against him.

It is also worth saying there is almost nothing between Crawford and the final name on this list…

1. Naoya Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs)

One of the lesser-known names on this list to the more casual fan, the Japanese does not lack in prowess what he may lack in profile. Inoue has the best stoppage percentage of any fighter on this list, part of what makes him such an exciting athlete to watch – along with his effortless evasiveness, brutal body attacks, and frightening level of output.

The 30-year-old stopped Paul Butler in December 2022 to become undisputed bantamweight champion – and the first Asian boxer to hold four world titles in a weight class at once – having previously held gold at light-flyweight and super-flyweight. However, he vacated his bantamweight belts in January to move up and challenge Stephen Fulton.

In July, Inoue took Fulton apart to hand the American his first pro loss and take his WBC and WBO super-bantamweight titles. As a result, the “Monster” became a four-weight world champion and further vindicated his No 1 spot here.

Heavyweight titlist Tyson Fury sees himself as the last man standing against the encroachment of Oleksander Usyk.

Fury, the WBC beltholder from England, is scheduled to fight for the undisputed championship against WBO, WBA, IBF unified champion Usyk of Ukraine on Feb. 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The fight, which has gone through a year of belabored and unsuccessful negotiations, finally came together when Turki Alalshikh of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority got involved. The outfit was behind Fury’s crossover bout with Francis Ngannou last month and is responsible for the upcoming Dec. 23 card featuring Anthony Joshua against Otto Wallin and Deontay Wilder against Joseph Parker.

In a recent interview, Fury was not particularly eager to dwell on his tougher-than-expected fight with Ngannou, in which the Cameroonian scored a shocking knockdown in the third round.

“What did you expect me to do? Stay down?” Fury told Sky Sports. “No matter what life chucks at you, always gotta keep moving forward, getting up and moving forward. That’s what you gotta do.”

Oleksandr Tyson

“I don’t reflect, it’s in the past,” Fury added. “That’s it. I’m happy. Got paid, got laid, onto the next one.

Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) characterized his fight with Usyk as an existential battle for the European continent.

“There’s only me who stands in the way of total domination of Europe. He’s beaten all the British guys, [Derek] Chisora, [Anthony] Joshua, [Daniel] Dubois,” Fury said. “There’s only me.

“They gotta pull out the long-range guns, and we’ll see. If he can beat me, which I know he can’t, there’ll be nothing standing in his way of total domination.”

The southpaw Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) last fought in August, stopping Dubois in nine rounds. There was a controversial moment in the fifth round when Dubois landed a punch that caused Usyk to fall to the canvas. The punch was ruled a low blow and led to an unsuccessful appeal by Dubois’ promoter.

Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.

Deontay Wilder is one of two men to have fought Tyson Fury three times. It goes without saying then that he’s one of the best-placed to analyse the Brit’s upcoming fight against Oleksandr Usyk.

The two heavyweight champions will come to blows on February 17 in Saudi Arabia, the winner leaving the ring as the first undisputed titlist in the division since Lennox Lewis.

Fury secured his WBC belt back in 2020 following a draw in the first bout with Wilder. He would beat him once more in 2021 to move ahead and look to compete for the other major belts.

Now that he has the opportunity to do so against unified champ Usyk, Wilder doesn’t make him the favourite. The American KO artist told Instant Casino that it was a pick’em fight, but Usyk’s speed could swing it.

tyson fury and oleksandr usyk

“It’s a 50-50 fight, anything can happen. People look at Fury’s size as a major advantage but that doesn’t necessarily mean nothing because Usyk can stay low to the ground and because Fury’s so tall it’s going to be difficult to reach down. If Usyk can get in and out real fast, I feel speed could be a major factor.”

Most of all, Wilder just wants to fight the winner and become undisputed himself.

“For me it’s 50-50 and I’m glad it’s finally happening so we get all the belts in one place. That’s going to make it easier for me to fight for the unification of those belts, so I won’t have to fight different champions and have champions running away because of what he’s seen me do to the last opponent.”

Fury and Usyk have a rematch clause, so Wilder will have to keep winning between now and then to earn his shot. Next up is Joseph Parker on December 23, potentially followed by Anthony Joshua in 2024 should he also win on the card.

 

Top heavyweight contender Zhilei Zhang does not view Tyson Fury as a big favorite in the upcoming undisputed showdown with Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury and Usyk will collide on February 17 in Saudi Arabia, with the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO, WBC world titles at stake.

Last month, Fury barely overcame a crossover boxing match with MMA veteran Francis Ngannou, who was making his professional debut.

Fury was dropped in the third round and had trouble with Ngannou’s style. After ten rounds, Fury walked away with a razor-close ten round split decision.

Tyson Fury

Zhang is not overly fixated on Fury’s struggles in that fight.

What bothers him most is Fury’s claim that he trained very hard to prepare for Ngannou.

If Fury actually trained as hard as he claims, then Zhang expects him to have a lot of problems when he steps in the ring with Usyk.

“I think it is simple, Fury didn’t train for this fight [against Ngannou],” Zhang told Metro.co.uk. “To be honest with you, he is not the version we are used to seeing.

“I can see his mindset is not in boxing at the moment, he is doing commercial things, he is doing PR, marketing, different things, but not boxing. And in this business, you can’t really fool yourself. You can’t fool training.

“After the fight [against Ngannou] in his press conference and interviews he said he had a good training camp for that fight. If that is the case, he has a very big problem going into the Usyk fight.”

Zhang, who is currently the WBO’s mandatory challenger, would like to see Fury come out on top so they can finally go through with their fight.

Earlier this year, Fury and Zhang were close to a deal – but their discussions fell apart when Joe Joyce exercised an immediate rematch clause to force a second meeting with Zhang.

The Chinese giant believes his power will do a lot of damage on Fury.

“If you look at his career, he’s got hit, he’s got dropped, and my punches are not a joke,” Zhang told the Town Bizznizz sports and ent YouTube channel.

“When my punches land, it’s going to be a disaster for him.”