Boxing
DAZN PPV - Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury Preview
The two top heavyweights in the world get set to lock horns yet again in what will be a Christmas cracker to end the year with. Boxing betting fans are eagerly exploring the odds and placing their wagers with excitement.
Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury//Getty Images
217 days after their first epic undisputed encounter and just four days before Christmas, Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 13KO) and Tyson Fury (24-1-1, 24KO) do battle once again in the Arabian Peninsula, live on DAZN PPV.
On Saturday, December 21, the familiar rivals head back to the Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, where, 31 weeks ago, Usyk made history as this century’s first-ever undisputed heavyweight champion, by defeating unbeaten WBC titlist, Fury, via split decision.
Pre-Fight Odds and Win Probability
Oleksandr Usyk: 29/50 (1.58) – 63,3%
Tyson Fury: 29/20 (2.45) – 40,8%
Draw: 35/2 (18.5) – 5,4%
*Odds courtesy of 1Win, subject to change
Oleksandr Usyk holds Ukrainian flag//Getty Images
This time, Usyk is the defending champion and Fury the challenger, so the landscape has shifted slightly from undisputed to unified, because the IBF belt will be missing, as Daniel Dubois has taken possession of that, so it will be the WBC, WBA, WBO, IBO and Ring Magazine titles on the line.
The first fight was so close, with one judge ruling it 114-113 for Tyson and the other two seeing it as 114-113 and 115-112 to Usyk.
The opening rounds see-sawed back and forth as the two gladiators settled into the historic contest and began to find their flow, but then it was Fury who came out as the commander from rounds 4-7, until Usyk changed his game plan to come back stronger in rounds 8-11. The Brit finished the fight strongest by dominating the final round, but was agonisingly pipped to the post in the narrowest of margins.
The below data shows how the rounds were scored on a majority system, with eight of them agreed unanimously (in bold), and just three of the early rounds splitting the judges, as well as the penultimate round.
Fury vs Usyk
| Round | Fury | Usyk |
| 1 | 9 | 10 |
| 2 | 10 | 9 |
| 3 | 9 | 10 |
| 4 | 10 | 9 |
| 5 | 10 | 9 |
| 6 | 10 | 9 |
| 7 | 10 | 9 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 9 | 8 | 10 |
| 10 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 9 | 10 |
| 12 | 10 | 9 |
Tyson was born three months prematurely and weighed just 1lbs on August 12, 1988. The doctors gave him very little chance of survival, so his father, John, named him Tyson (after Mike Tyson) to give him the fighting strength he needed to pull through.
Fury vs Usyk 2 Preview
Usyk has a very rhythmic flow to his boxing, constantly rocking from side to side, dipping his head, shifting his feet, and throwing lots of punches. He isn’t stationary for a single second, his movement and engagement is continual for the full 12 rounds.
He is always pawing with his southpaw lead right hand, waving it around in circles to distract and confuse his opponents, keeping them guessing and always on edge, unable to switch off and therefore mentally draining his foes.
Fury is big, even for a heavyweight, but his graceful, fluid movement defies his large frame. He is mobile, dextrous and light on his feet. He is also awkward, like Usyk, because he uses lots of feints, is very twitchy, which not only makes his opponents flinch, but works to upset their flow too. He has great head movement and can switch stance. He isn’t an explosive puncher like Anthony Joshua or Deontay Wilder is, but his 260lbs-plus weight provides punches with a thump.
Fury’s most successful punch against Usyk was his right uppercut, and Usyk’s was his long-reaching left hook/cross, which is the punch that scored the ninth-round knockdown.
Fury was also effective with his body punching and caused Usyk to withdraw a couple of times during the middle rounds when he was hurt, which he later admitted after the fight.
The long, straight left hook from Usyk landed so many times during the 12-round contest, it was by far his most effective shot. Tyson was able to block it a few times, but was caught copiously by it, resulting in the giant being staggered badly when it landed on his temple in that dramatic ninth round.
Tale of the Tape
| Fury | Stats | Usyk |
| 35 | Age | 36 |
| 32 | Wins | 21 |
| 1 | Losses | 0 |
| 1 | Draws | 0 |
| 23 | KOs | 13 |
| 70.59% | KO Ratio | 63.64% |
| 6ft 9in | Height | 6ft 3in |
| 85in | Reach | 78in |
| Orthodox | Stance | Southpaw |
In terms of skill, stamina and ring IQ, these two are completely even, as evidenced by the split decision result.
Fury has size, weight and strength advantages over Usyk, but the Ukrainian has already scored a knockdown over the British behemoth, who wasn’t able to do the same back. So, despite all his extra weight and higher knockout percentage, it was Usyk who landed the biggest, most damaging punch of the first fight.
Usyk’s ability to ready a fight and his cat-like reactions allows him to get inside of his opponent’s reach to land his own shots, so even though Fury boasts a whopping seven-inch reach advantage over him, Usyk has skill, intelligence and experience to nullify that gain.
The first fight was as close it could possibly be, with the 10-8 ninth round for Usyk proving the difference on the cards. Without that knockdown, the result would have been a draw, with one judge for, one against, and one even.
So, there is a very high chance that this fight will be just as close, once again decided by the finest of margins.
Fury has promised to come out like a wrecking ball, like he did so successfully in the Wilder rematch where he knocked out the world’s most fearsome puncher in seven one-sided rounds. He delivered on that promise once before so his threats should be taken very seriously.
Each outcome of this rematch is just as likely as each other – win, lose or draw. Usyk is the favourite to win again, which is a likely scenario; but Tyson only has to show slight improvements from his last performance to pip Usyk to the post this time.
Prediction
We are going to back our Brit to do what he’s done before, which is to come back in the rematch stronger than ever to make good on his promise and knock Usyk out.
Fight outcome: Usyk to win for a second time and remain unbeaten is 4/6
Method of victory: Fury to deliver on his promise – like he did in the Wilder rematch – and knock Usyk out is 9/2, but the Ukrainian has bever been dropped as a professional
Draw: Considering how close fight one was, a draw at 18/1 sounds like great odds.
Tim has over 27 years experience within the sports industry, working for football clubs Arsenal FC and Millwall FC, and boxing news websites British Boxing News, Boxing Social and Global Boxing News. His boxing articles have been published in Boxing News Magazine, national newspapers, plus many other major news outlets.