Usyk and Fury set date for rematch
29 May 2024 15:31
Boxers Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury have agreed to hold a rematch for the world heavyweight championship on 21 December. This was announced by the head of the Saudi Arabian Entertainment Authority, Turki Al Al-Sheikh, reports "Komersant Ukrainian"
On the night of 19 May, WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk fought against WBC belt holder Tyson Fury in the main 12-round fight. The Ukrainian boxer won a split decision and became the absolute heavyweight champion.
Both boxers agreed to a rematch. According to Boxing Kingdom, Usyk will have the opportunity to earn significantly more money than in the first fight. For the rematch, Usyk will receive 60% of the total fee, while Fury will receive 40%. In the first fight, Tyson Fury received 2/3 of the total fee, and the Ukrainian boxer received the rest.
Usyk and Fury will meet again in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the first fight took place.
“The rematch between undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk and champion Tyson Fury is currently scheduled for 21 December 2024 during the Riyadh season. The world will once again watch another historic fight,”
– the statement said.
It is currently unknown whether the winner of the rematch will hold the title of absolute world heavyweight champion. Usyk, who recently defeated British Tyson Fury in a spectacular fight, became the absolute world heavyweight champion, collecting the four most prestigious belts – WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF. However, in the near future, Usyk may lose one of his championships.
The fact is that according to the rules of the IBF, which owns one of Usyk’s championship belts, instead of rematching with Fury, the Ukrainian must fight against Croatian Filip Hrgovic, who is a mandatory contender for the IBF heavyweight belt. The IBF insists that its champion Usyk should agree on his next title defence with Hrgovic.
However, after his victory over Fury, Usyk and his opponent announced their intention to hold a second fight between them in accordance with the clauses of their contract. The promoters see the rematch as a more profitable and attractive event than Usyk’s fight with the unpopular Hrgovic.
If Usyk does not agree to the IBF’s demand and rematches with Fury, he faces the cancellation of his IBF championship and the loss of his claim to the absolute heavyweight championship. According to the IBF rules, such a refusal to fight a mandatory challenger results in the automatic revocation of the organisation’s championship belt.
On the other hand, Usyk’s team hopes to negotiate a special exception with the IBF that will allow them to hold a rematch with Fury for all four championship belts. Hrgovic may be guaranteed a meeting with the winner of the Usyk-Fury fight. However, the IBF’s final decision is still unknown.
