Boxing

Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury rematch to take place on December 21st in Riyadh

Usyk added Fury’s WBC belt to his WBA, WBO and IBF titles earlier this month

Tyson Fury against Oleksandr Usyk during the heavyweight championship fight at Kingdom Arena at Kingdom Arena, Riyadh. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA Wire
Wed May 29 2024 - 15:37

The rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will take place on December 21st, according to the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s general entertainment authority.

Usyk added Fury’s WBC belt to his WBA, WBO and IBF titles with a split-decision victory earlier this month in Riyadh, which made the Ukrainian the first undisputed world heavyweight champion for almost a quarter of a century.

With an immediate rematch clause written into the fighters’ contracts, it was expected they would clash again in October, but a December date has been announced instead.

“The rematch between the Undisputed Champion Oleksandr Usyk and the Champion Tyson Fury is now scheduled on the 21 of December 2024 during Riyadh Season,” Turki Alalshikh wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

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“The world will watch another historical fight again ... Our commitment to boxing fans continues. We hope you enjoy it.”

Fury was convinced he had won the initial fight on May 18th and indicated there were no thoughts of retirement, despite having earned in the region of £100 million for facing Usyk.

“I ain’t boxing because I’ve got no money, I’m boxing because I love it. I’m 36 in a few months (his birthday is August 12th). I’ve been boxing since I was a child,” Fury said at the time.

“Where does it all end? Do I have a hundred fights and break down and end up in a wheelchair?

“While I’m still loving the game – and I was having fun in there – then I will continue to do it. When I can’t do it any more, I’ll pack it up.”

Usyk’s training camp for the first contest was extended when Fury suffered a cut in training, forcing the original date of February 17th to be postponed and the Olympic gold medallist revealed the sacrifices he made to be ready.

“I don’t want to think about boxing now,” Usyk said in his post-fight press conference.

“My camp started in September 2023 and I worked for nine months. I missed Happy New Year, I missed my son’s birthday, I missed my other son’s birthday, I missed my daughter’s birthday and then the birth of my daughter.

“I also missed family holidays. I was only focused on this fight. Now I’m happy and I want to go back home.”