Lomachenko’s Got Usyk’s Back, But Will Fury Even Show Up?

Vasily Lomachenko is pulling for IBF, WBA, and WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk to defeat WBC champ Tyson Fury this Saturday night in their undisputed championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Lomachenko, who won the IBF lightweight title last Saturday night over George Kambosos, wants his Ukrainian brother Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) to defeat Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) to become the undisputed champion in the heavyweight division.

The Fury vs. Usyk event will be shown live on DAZN PPV and ESPN+ PPV starting at 2:00 p.m. ET this Saturday, May 18th. The event costs $69.99 in the U.S.

Is Fury going to show up this time?

Boxing fans are hoping Fury makes it to the ring without suffering another injury. Both fighters face a $10 million pull-out penalty if they come down with an ailment, and need to postpone.

Last February, Fury pulled out with a cut, but the $10M penalty wasn’t in effect at the time. Fury is the one that most boxing fans are concerned with because he’s already pulled out once, and his physique suggests to some that he’s not been overly dedicated to his training.

It’s going to be interesting to see how the 6’3″, 220+ lb Usyk deals with the size of Fury, who could outweigh him by 35-40 lbs in this fight.

Although Fury has lost a lot of weight with the extra training time from his injury last February, he’s still likely to be in the low 260s. The lowest Fury has been in the last five years is 254 lbs for his fight against Otto Wallin in 2019.

A Fight for National Pride

“My opinion is I’m with my friend, I’m with brother, Oleksandr Usyk, and, of course, I wish him to win this fight,” said Vasily Lomachenko to the media, talking about Usyk’s fight against Fury on Saturday.

“The best man wins this fight. This is a very historical moment for boxing, for people around boxing, and, of course, for Ukraine. It’s a very important fight. I will pray for Oleksandr, and I hope the best man wins,” said Lomachenko.

Arum’s About-Face: Even Money

“That’s a great fight, an even money fight. At first, I thought Fury was too big for him and would demolish Usyk. Now, I think it’s much more competitive. It could go either way. The betting apps show that fight to be an even money fight,” said Top Rank promoter Bob Arum to Jai McAllister, talking about the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk contest this Saturday in Riyadh.