Fans strongly believe that Oleksandr Usyk has NO chance to retain his three heavyweight titles without scoring a knockout from Tyson Fury in their rematch this Saturday, December 21, in Riyadh.
Usyk’s uphill battle
Unified champion Oleksandr fights the establishment on Saturday night and may need a miracle knockout to win.
Turki Alalshikh has said he wants the trilogy fight between the two, and there is also huge interest in a mega-money clash between Fury and Anthony Joshua. For those contests to generate the most fan interest, Fury has to win. Turki said to the outside who he wants to win on Saturday night is significant.
Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) needs to understand what he’s up against in this fight, as he likely needs a knockout to win. As seen in the first fight, the close rounds will favor Fury. To win rounds, Usyk needs to hammer Fury into the ground and dominate after he gets up. Even in rounds where Usyk drops Fury, you can’t assume they’ll be given to him.
A prelude to Riyadh
That little episode in the ninth round of the Fury-Usyk fight on May 18 may be a prelude to the uphill battle Oleksandr faces on Saturday night. That might require him knocking Fury out with a single shot to the head in the rematch.
Many people think the A-side star Fury will be given a false victory with a controversial 10-round split decision like the one he got in his fight against Francis Ngannou last year on October 28, 2023 in Riyadh.
“No,” said Usyk to the Stampede groundswhen asked about his thoughts on Turki Alalshikh wanting Tyson Fury to win because of his desire for a trilogy fight. “I win.”
𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘪#Usyk2Fury | #Riyadh Season | December 21, live on DAZN | Click link in bio to buy | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/hihiWSWvRF
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 16, 2024
Two champions, one call, history in the making
What do we say, third fight? @Tyson_Fury #Usyk2Fury #Riyadh Season pic.twitter.com/pLaesrliZ9
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) December 15, 2024
