It’s On: Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk Undisputed Clash Now Official
The long awaited clash for the undisputed heavyweight championship now has a date and location: Feb. 17 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) will put his WBC title on the line while Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) will have his WBO, IBF and WBA belts at stake. The fight will headline the third boxing event set for Riyadh Season, a state-funded entertainment and sports festival. This will follow the Oct. 28 clash between Fury and Francis Ngannou, a fight in which the reigning WBC champion struggled in, and the upcoming event on Dec. 23 featuring Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and more.
A press conference was held in London, England, to announce the event billed as “Ring of Fire.” For the first time since Lennox Lewis, the heavyweight division will crown an undisputed champion. The fight has been a long time coming, and boxing fans will finally get the chance to see Fury and Usyk duke it out.
Fury and Usyk 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛 during face off 🔥
The two will battle it out to prove who really is the King of the Heavyweight division 👑#RingofFire | 17.02.24 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia pic.twitter.com/ktOMhgK99s
— Queensberry Promotions (@Queensberry) November 16, 2023
Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk press conference quotes
“I’m very happy to be here,” said Usyk. “Thank you so much everybody. I more speak in the ring.”
“I want to tell one story which looks very similar to our story with Tyson [Fury], about David and Goliath. When the Lord gives me Tyson in my hands, I will make my job.”
“I’ve been in many, many heavyweight title fights before,” said Fury. “It is what it is and now is the most important one. Me and Oleksandr [Usyk], we’re both undefeated. He’s a champion; I’m a champion. And it’s going to be one of the fights for the ages.”
“It’s been 24 years since we’ve last had an undisputed heavyweight world champion. Now we know that the Klitschkos were champions for about 10 years. So there’s been another 14 years where other heavyweights couldn’t do it. So we’ve been chosen. And I believe we’re both destined to be here, to be in this big fight in Saudi Arabia, the ‘Ring of Fire.’ And there’s only one winner. I’m destined to become the undisputed champion.”
Currently writing out of Toronto, Canada, Saadeq first became a boxing fan while living in Doha, Qatar. Looking to become more involved in the sport, he began writing about boxing and has had work published in outlets such as Seconds Out and Boxing Social. He looks forward to continue covering boxing on Big Fight Weekend.
