Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury rematch announced for December 21

TURKI ALALSHIKH has announced that Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will face one another again on Saturday, December 21.

The contracted rematch will take place seven months after their first bout which saw Usyk crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion after beating Fury by split decision (114-113), 113-114, 115-112). Usyk’s win took place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh and the return bout will once again take place in the Saudi Arabian capital.

Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, is the man responsible for bringing boxing’s biggest players together to make the best fights possible throughout the sport. And on May 18 history was made when Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999.

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…The world will watch another historical fight again…Our commitment to boxing fans continues…We hope you enjoy it…🥊🔥🇸🇦

— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) May 29, 2024

The defeat was the first of Fury’s career and ended his four-year reign as WBC champion which included two epic wins over Deontay Wilder plus victories over Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora.

On the Monday of Usyk-Fury fight week the latter’s father John was involved in ugly scenes when the 69-year-old clashed with members of Usyk’s team before headbutting one of them which resulted in lines of blood dribbling down his face.

Those memories were thankfully not the biggest talking point of the week after the efforts of his son and Usyk in the ring. The Brit did, however, spend too much time clowning around in the early stages allowing Usyk into the fight. Fury roared back and appeared to hurt Usyk to the body on a few occasions and catch the former undisputed cruiserweight champion with several clubbing shots. Usyk, who was seen kissing a crucifix in the corner for inspiration, pulled himself back into the fight and in round nine almost stopped ‘The Gypsy King’ but referee Mark Nelson intervened and issued a standing count to the dazed Fury who did well to recover.

The momentum shifted in the final round when Fury once again produced his battling qualities to take the session on all three scorecards.

Whether all four titles will be on the line once again remains to be seen. The IBF had seemed set to strip Usyk of his title because of his inability to face long-time mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic – who fights Daniel Dubois this Saturday night (June 1). However, Usyk has requested an exception from the governing body so his rematch with Fury can be for the undisputed championship once again.