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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
George Flood

Usyk vs Fury 2: Fight time, undercard, latest odds, prediction and ring walks tonight

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury tonight meet again in a blockbuster boxing clash.

It has been seven months now since the heavyweight rivals finally locked horns in a long-awaited bout that had been delayed by a freak cut suffered by Fury in training, with Usyk forcing Fury to take a standing count and then going on to edge it on points by split decision after a captivating contest to become the first undisputed champion of boxing’s glamour division since Lennox Lewis in 2000.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW USYK VS FURY 2 LIVE!

Fury was quick to exercise a rematch clause after suffering the first defeat of his 36-fight, 16-year professional career, having immediately hit out at the result which saw two judges score the contest 115-112 and 114-113 in favour of Usyk, while a third gave it 114-113 to Fury.

Now the self-proclaimed ‘Gypsy King’ will be out for swift revenge in Saudi Arabia after seeing his second world title reign ended in May, losing the WBC belt he had held ever since that destructive first victory in his second fight with Deontay Wilder in early 2020.

Undisputed status is not on the line this time however, with the undefeated Usyk - who holds the WBA (Super), WBC, WBO, IBO and The Ring belts - vacating the IBF title just weeks after beating Fury as a result of him being unable to face interim champion Daniel Dubois again, with ‘Dynamite’ then upgraded to full champion status before successfully defending the belt emphatically for the first time by knocking out Anthony Joshua at Wembley in September.

While not every single heavyweight belt is on the line this time and both men insist that defeat won’t lead to retirement, the stakes remain sky-high - particularly for Fury - in what should be an early Christmas gift to remember.

Running it back: Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will go head to head once again in Riyadh on Saturday (Getty Images)

Usyk vs Fury 2 date

Usyk vs Fury 2 takes place tonight on Saturday December 21, 2024 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - exactly the same venue as for the first fight back in May.

Usyk vs Fury 2 start time

TV coverage of the event on Saturday begins from 4pm GMT, which is 7pm local time in Riyadh. The earliest fights will be from around 3pm.

The main undercard is expected to commence at around 5pm GMT, with ring walks for Usyk vs Fury 2 anticipated at approximately 10:30pm GMT.

Usyk vs Fury 2 undercard

There is plenty more British heavyweight interest on Saturday night’s undercard, with 19-year-old rising superstar Moses Itauma facing the next step on his quest to beat Mike Tyson’s record as the youngest heavyweight world champion in history as he faces Australian Demsey McKean.

Johnny ‘Romford Bull’ Fisher is up against Dave Allen in an all-British scrap, while Leeds super-welterweight Ishmael Davis has been handed a late call to take on Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk after Israil Madrimov withdrew due to suffering from bronchitis.

Dennis McCann’s clash with Peter McGrail was pulled from the card last week after McCann returned an adverse finding in his pre-fight test with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA). McGrail is now set to battle the unbeaten Rhys Edwards instead, while Fury’s friend and training partner Isaac Lowe is also on the bill along with Usyk’s other compatriots in Daniel Lapin and Andrii Novytskyi, plus Saudi fighter Mohammed Alakel.

Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury 2

Serhii Bohachuk vs Ishmael Davis

Moses Itauma vs Demsey McKean

Johnny Fisher vs Dave Allen

Peter McGrail vs Rhys Edwards

Isaac Lowe vs Lee McGregor

Daniel Lapin vs Dylan Colin

Andrii Novytskyi vs Edgar Ramirez

Mohammed Alakel vs Joshua Ocampo

How to watch Usyk vs Fury 2

TV channel and live stream: In the UK, Usyk vs Fury 2 is being shown live on DAZN pay-per-view at a cost of £24.99, with no subscription required and a seven-day free trial to DAZN also on offer.

The event is also available to purchase via Sky Sports Box Office for £24.95, and on TNT Sports Box Office for £24.99.

Live blog: Follow coverage of Saturday’s entire event with Standard Sport’s live fight blog.

The Standard's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Usyk vs Fury 2 purses

The official purses for the rematch have not yet been disclosed, but reports claim the total amount on offer is a huge £150million - up from approximately £116m for the first fight.

Speculation at the time suggested that Fury had taken around £85m for the first fight, compared to around £30m for Usyk, who will surely expect much more this time as the reigning champion.

Usyk vs Fury 2 prediction

Another truly fascinating heavyweight duel awaits in the Middle East on Saturday night, with one question on the lips of every fight fan across the globe - can Fury make the changes needed to become the first fighter ever to beat Usyk at the second time of asking?

Both men had their success early on in the first encounter, with Fury - who was content to showboat to the crowd - then coming on strong and hurting the Ukrainian with a fierce uppercut in round six.

However, once again we saw those remarkable powers of determination, concentration and sheer durability from the ultra-skilled southpaw Usyk, who regathered himself to come roaring back in the next two rounds and then force a standing count at the bell as he went for the finish after rocking Fury in the ninth.

Revenge or repeat? Usyk edged a split decision over Fury in their first fight in Saudi Arabia back in May (Action Images via Reuters)

Much will depend on Fury’s approach to the rematch, which will produce fireworks if Fury sticks to his apparent plan to adopt far more aggressive tactics and go into “destroy mode” having said that he was too cautious last time around, also pledging to cut out the showboating.

It could all just be bravado of course, but it sounds as if Fury - who looks to be coming into this fight much heavier than in May - is planning on going in to try and force a knockout this time rather than try to outbox the peerless Usyk and leave it in the hands of the judges again, and we’ve certainly seen him switch up his approach like that to devastating effect in the past against Wilder.

Similar success can’t be ruled out here, but surely Usyk will be ready for such an onslaught and be fully prepared to punish it with blistering, powerful counters that may lead to Fury admirably going out on his shield, leading to the inevitable questions about his future in the sport.

But knocking out Fury is far easier said than done, as Wilder can attest, which may lead to earlier fireworks eventually petering out into another tense and entertaining Usyk decision win.

Usyk to win on points again.

Usyk vs Fury 2 weigh-in results

The pair took to the scales on Friday evening for what could yet prove to be a misleading weigh-in.

Fury came in at 281lbs, the heaviest weight of his career so far, but he was wearing a leather jacket and trousers on the scales. Usyk weighed in at 226lbs, just under three pounds heavier than he was for the first fight. However, he was in a hat and also fully clothed, and did not take a heavy chain off.

The final press conference showdown between Usyk and Fury was on Thursday night, with the rivals engaging in an intense face-off lasting almost 12 minutes. There was no such repeat at the weigh-in, though, with a focused Fury also skipping a final interview.

Grand arrivals were on Tuesday, with media workouts on Wednesday as Fury declined to throw a single punch in bizarre scenes. It was there that trainer SugarHill Steward also appeared to admit that it would only be him, fellow coach Andy Lee and a cutman in Fury’s corner this time, with dad John set to be absent after his controversial role back in May, which saw him headbutt a member of Usyk’s team five days before the fight and then be criticised for his advice to his son in the corner on the night.

Usyk vs Fury 2 odds

Usyk to win: 8/11

Fury to win: 6/5

Draw: 14/1

Usyk to win on points or by decision: 2/1

Usyk to win by knockout or technical knockout: 11/4

Fury to win on points or by decision: 10/3

Fury to win by knockout or technical knockout: 3/1

Odds via Betfair (subject to change).

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