by Salvatore Riggio
The most prestigious boxing category towards the reunification of the 4 crowns: Fury (WBC) and Usyk (WBA, WBO, IBF) are putting them up for grabs. It hasn’t happened since ’99 with Lennox Lewis
The world of boxing is ready to stop on February 17, 2024, in exactly three months. In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (where else?), the heavyweights — boxing’s queen (and most glamorous) category — will have just one world champion. An extraordinary event, just think that it hasn’t happened for 25 years, a quarter of a century. In 1999 it was Lennox Lewis, one of the few boxers to have won it three times together with Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield and Vitali Klitschko.
Now it will be one of Tyson Fury
, British WBC world champion, and the Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, holder of the WBA, WBO and IBF crowns. We’ve been talking about it for months, but now it’s all true. And reality will materialize, precisely, in exactly 92 days. The negotiations to arrive at the white smoke have repeatedly stalled over a clause for the rematch, against which Fury’s entourage would have expressed itself. Instead, Usyk would have instead claimed it as already happened for the challenge with Anthony Joshua in 2021 (winning, again on points, the following year too). Not only.
This fight was supposed to take place on December 23, but Fury’s disappointing performance — in a split decision win last month — against Cameroonian MMA star Francis Ngannou forced the highly anticipated bout to be postponed. The Briton was left with a swollen eye and a cut on his forehead, but is now recovering. Now no one can back out: Fury and Usyk have the chance of a lifetime and they can’t fail.
On the one hand, the Briton will look to surpass his record of 34 wins and one draw since he turned professional in 2008; on the other, the Ukrainian will try to remain undefeated, having won all 21 of his matches. As mentioned, the theater of the super challenge will be Saudi Arabia, which in recent years has already hosted several important boxing events, including Usyk’s victory over Joshua in 2022.
The Gulf state has been accused of using sport to boost its international reputation after widespread criticism over its human rights record. “This is a historic event – the whole boxing world has been waiting for this for many, many years and now they have this challenge,” Fury’s promoter Frank Warren said. “For the first time in this century we will have an undisputed heavyweight champion,” he continued. So, the countdown has begun.
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November 17, 2023 (changed November 17, 2023 | 4:25 pm)
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