Heavyweight Boxing
On December 21, Tyson Fury will make his long-awaited return to the ring to face Oleksandr Usyk in what will be one of the most hotly contested rematches of all time. The fight itself is taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where Fury and Usyk will clash for the World Heavyweight Championship. Last time out, Usyk won by split-decision to become the first Undisputed Heavyweight Champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999. Now, Fury is looking for revenge — and the outcome of this rematch could potentially make or break his legacy.
Make no doubt about it, Tyson Fury needs to win on December 21. If he comes out on top, it will solidify him in the history books as one of the all-time great heavyweights. However, a loss would leave him 0-2 in one of the biggest rivalries of his career, inflicting a huge dent to the Fury brand name. Not to mention, Fury’s split-decision win over a non-boxer last year, which didn’t help his legacy and some believe Fury actually lost that spectacle. To put it mildly, Fury’s stock has taken a huge hit in recent months, leaving many fans questioning whether he's truly one of the greats. One thing for sure is that this rematch is going to help settle the debate.
A big concern heading into Fury vs Usyk II is Tyson Fury’s hunger. It’s fair to say that the past few years haven’t been all that great for Fury, with the “Gypsy King” struggling to stay in shape and not having won against a legitimate boxer since he beat an over the hill Derek Chisora back in 2022. Fury fans were especially concerned when Fury fought a non-boxer in 2023, where he looked slow, sluggish, and was (embarrassingly) knocked down in the third round of what many purists considered an exhibition-spectacle of sorts. To Fury’s credit, though, he did manage to get in better shape for his first match with Usyk several months later, but reports at the time suggested Fury had done little sparring and was once again under-prepared. Despite flashes of brilliance, Fury was ultimately dismantled in the later rounds and Usyk won convincingly by split-decision, much to the frustration of the Fury camp.
So, how will Fury fair this time around? If recent interviews and videos of Fury are anything to go by, it looks like Fury is ready and raring to go. And in one of his most recent interviews with BoxNation, Fury had a lot to say: “I will win and I will have a trilogy with him (Usyk). Because that’s the fight that makes most sense.”
In the same interview, Fury also dismissed retirement claims and admitted that the only reason he continues to box is for the money. Despite all of this, it seems as though Fury has recaptured some of the fire and hunger that's been missing in recent years, so the Usyk rematch is certainly going to be interesting. And no matter what happens, all signs point to Fury staying in the world of boxing for the near future.
As expected, Oleksandr Usyk (4/7) is expected to beat Tyson Fury (6/4) heading into this heavyweight rematch for the world title. If you use the BettingTools free calculators, you can figure out how much your bet would return for each fighter. So, if you’re planning to place a bet on fight night, make sure you do that first.
The odds are reflective of Usyk’s dominant display in the first fight, who many expect to do the same thing in the rematch. It’s also been a rocky year for Fury, starting with his underwhelming spectacle against Ngannou followed by a devastating loss to Usyk, so most boxing analysts are not convinced that he can pull off a win. However, it does seem like Fury is in a more positive and focused space heading into the fight this time, so you can expect it to be a close one.
Fury vs Usyk 2 is going to be the most watched fight of the year. The great news is that you can catch it on any of the following platforms:
Last time out, Fury vs Usyk pulled in around $50 million from 1.5 million buys, earning the fight a place in the top ten most-watched boxing pay-per-views ever. Interestingly, because there was so much hype around the fight, a reported 20 million people also streamed it illegally, which is expected to happen once again later this month. However, if you want to see the fight, it’s recommended you watch it on an official streaming platform, such as DAZN, as the overall experience is much better.
Win or lose on December 21, Tyson Fury has already expressed interest in having a third fight with Usyk to complete the trilogy. However, the fight that most fans — particularly in the UK — are desperate to see is Fury vs Joshua. Despite years of trying, contract negotiations have kept collapsing between the two fighters’ camps, but there remains a strong sense of optimism that the fight will finally happen in 2025. It likely won’t happen until the end of 2025, though, as Fury will be eager to complete his trilogy with Usyk in the first half of the year.
It’s officially now or never for Tyson Fury. If he loses against Usyk on December 21, it will throw his legacy into question. If he wins, Fury’s name is restored and he can carry that momentum into 2025. This will be an incredible clash — and boxing fans are in for a treat.
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