This Saturday, Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), who holds the WBO, IBF, and WBA heavyweight championships, takes on lineal and WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) for the title of undisputed heavyweight world champion at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and on Top Rank on ESPN+ PPV. If a winner is declared, he would be the first undisputed heavyweight world champion since Lennox Lewis won a unanimous decision over Evander Holyfield on November 13, 1999.
“It’s been (25) years since we’ve last had an undisputed heavyweight world champion,” Fury said. “And we know that the Klitschkos were champions for about 10 years. So there’s been another 14 years where other heavyweights couldn’t stop it. So we’ve been chosen. And I believe we’re both destined to be here. And there’s only one winner: I’m destined to become undisputed champion.”
Usyk compared the epic matchup to a legendary mythological battle.
“I want to tell a story that looks very similar to our story with Tyson, about David and Goliath,” Usyk said. “When the Lord gives me Tyson in my hands, I will do my job.”
“I’ve been in many heavyweight title fights before,” Fury said. “And now is the most important one. We’re both undefeated. He’s a champion; I’m a champion. And it’s going to be one of the fights for the ages.”
“I’m very happy to be here,” Uysk said. “I will speak more in the ring.”
While this is a very compelling fight between two undefeated heavyweight world champions, it is hard to see how Usyk will overcome the six-inch height deficit combined with the weight disparity in the ring. Fury is not only skilled, but intelligent, and a smart strategy of relying on his jab while punishing Usyk on the inside with power punches when he engages should lead to victory.
On June 1, former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) will try to get back in the win column after a lackluster performance in a loss to Joseph Parker in December. Wilder’s opponent, Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) coincidentally was also defeated by Parker in his last fight in March. The fight will also take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
On the same night, the UFC will return to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, for the second time in 13 months with UFC 302 featuring a main event between UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and top-five contender Dustin Poirier. The coin-main event will feature former middleweight champion Sean Strickland taking on Paulo Costa.
On July 6 at the Prudential Center, Newark native and WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) will face German Artem Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) in a 12-round clash.
On June 8, Puerto Rican boxer Xander Zayas (18-0, 12 KOs) will challenge Patrick Teixeira Jr. (34-4, 25 KOs) on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in a 10-round, junior middleweight matc