Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set on a collision course for a 12-round heavyweight war in a few days in Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Arena. The two juggernauts will bang it out for the WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF titles on Saturday, May 18th, in a bout that will crown the sport’s first undisputed champion since 1999.
Currently, ‘The Gypsy King‘ is the WBA world heavyweight champion while the Ukrainian is defending the WBA, WBO, and IBF titles, all of which are on the line. The two champions will meet each other in the ring on May 18 with the ring walks for the main event expected at 11 pm UK time – 1 am Sunday, May 19 in Saudi time.
Official coverage of the build-up, detailing the backstory will commence at 4 pm UK time on Sky Sports Box Office with two hours of the undercard on Sky Sports Action starting at the same time. For eager fans who want to catch press conferences, the pre-fight presser is scheduled at 7 pm UK time on Thursday, May 16. Subsequently, the weigh-in will take place on the next day, Friday at the same time.
The massive event will be held at the Kingdom Arena, the same venue where Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou settled the scores earlier this year. As for the PPV details, the prices are a tad bit on the higher side as they are priced at £24.95 for Sky customers in the UK and €27.95 for Sky (and Virgin Media) customers in Ireland up until midnight on Friday, May 17.
Thereafter the prices will drop back to £24.95/€27.95 (ROI) from midnight on Saturday, May 18. Also, be wary that an additional £2 booking fee will be added once you get the tickets via an agent. While the price remains steady for self-service, the price may go up if you book the ticket via a phone(£29.95/€32.95). Amidst the build-up, Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn upped the ante with fresh remarks, essentially claiming that Joshua will beat the 35-year-old hands down.
Eddie Hearn fires off at Tyson Fury with bold Anthony Joshua claim
The whole of the fight world is eagerly awaiting the showdown as the orthodox fighter takes on the agile southpaw. This is a testing ground for Usyk who earlier last year defied all odds and defeated Joshua, beating the Brit with a decision to take all the belts. However, taking on Fury certainly won’t be a cakewalk for the former cruiserweight champ who is jumping up a weight class.
With both fighters confident in their abilities and the fans anticipating a war from the long-sought bout, Joshua’s promoter had to get in a cheeky one at Fury. According to Eurosports, Hearn said,
“You may call me deluded, but in my mind, AJ beats Tyson Fury for the undisputed championship, and that would be a real sweet way to walk into the sunset.”
Despite the setbacks, Hearn still believes in Joshua and strongly believes that the British heavyweight can push over ‘The Gypsy King.’ With that being said, the upcoming fight is a significant one for all three fighters – Fury, Usyk, and Joshua.
