It has taken nearly 25 years to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion. The wait is nearly over.
WBC/Lineal champion Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) and WBO/IBF/WBA ruler Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) will do battle Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The winner becomes the division’s first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis accomplished that feat in 1999.
Eight fights in total are scheduled for the Top Rank on ESPN+ PPV stream, which begins at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT.
The pay-per-view undercard features a pair of world title fights. In the co-feature, cruiserweight king Jai Opetaia (24-0, 19 KOs) puts his Ring Magazine belt on the line against Mairis Breidis (28-2, 20 KOs), the man he dethroned for the IBF world title in July 2022. The vacant IBF world title will also be at stake in this highly anticipated rematch.
The fighting pride of Wales, IBF junior lightweight world champion Joe Cordina (17-0, 9 KOs), defends his strap against Belfast native Anthony Cacace (21-1, 7 KOs).
In other action, undefeated heavyweight contenders Frank Sanchez (24-0, 17 KOs) and Agit Kabayel (24-0, 16 KOs) square off in a WBC title eliminator, while former light heavyweight king Sergey Kovalev (35-4-1, 29 KOs) sees action in a 10-round cruiserweight tilt versus Robin Sirwan Safar (16-0, 12 KOs).
This is what Fury and Usyk had to say at Wednesday’s media workout, three days before all the belts will be at stake.
Tyson Fury:
“I’m on top of the world, baby! Who wouldn’t be enjoying it? I’m in the great Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This is the main event. It is the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.”
“Keep tuned. Keep your eyes peeled. We’ve got some big stuff coming over the next few days.”
“I always have a crazy little ring walk. And you wouldn’t expect anything different for the biggest fight in your life, would you? I don’t think it’s ever been done before, so it’s definitely going to be a surprise.”
“This is absolutely fantastic. All these great people have come out to support the boxing event in Saudi Arabia. We’re looking forward to putting on a fantastic show for the world to watch.”
Oleksandr Usyk:
“I feel good. Each event brings with it a new experience. It’s always a wonderful, great, and new experience for the team.”
“I don’t have a final message for him. I will save it for Saturday.”
Saturday, May 18:
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, 12 rounds, Undisputed Heavyweight World Title
Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis 2, 12 rounds, Vacant IBF and Opetaia’s Ring Magazine Cruiserweight World Titles
Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace, 12 rounds, Cordina’s IBF Junior Lightweight World Title
Frank Sanchez vs. Agit Kabayel, 12 rounds, WBC Heavyweight Title Eliminator
Moses Itauma vs. Ilja Mezencev, 10 rounds, Vacant WBO Intercontinental Heavyweight Title
Mark Chamberlain vs. Joshua Oluwaseun Wahab, 12 rounds, Vacant WBC Silver Lightweight Title
Sergey Kovalev vs. Robin Sirwan Safar, 10 rounds, Cruiserweight
Daniel Lapin vs. Octavio Pudivitr, 10 rounds, Vacant WBA Intercontinental Light Heavyweight Title
Credit: Top Rank Boxing
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