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Usyk-Fury heavyweight rematch set for Dec. 21 in Saudi Arabia


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Associated Press

The heavyweight rematch between undisputed world champion Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will take place on Dec. 21 in Saudi Arabia, according to the advisor who organizes boxing events in the kingdom.

Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, confirmed the date of the fight on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday. He said it will take place in Riyadh, the location of the first fight on May 19.

“The world will watch another historical fight again,” he wrote. “Our commitment to boxing fans continues ... We hope you enjoy it.”

Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 2000 when he defeated Fury by split decision, earning a narrow win on two scorecards. The 37-year-old Ukrainian is the first heavyweight to hold every major title belt since Lennox Lewis.

It was Fury’s first loss as a professional.

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Eddie Hearn confirms timeline for Oleksandr Usyk to be stripped of world title before Tyson Fury rematch

By Jack Rathborn, The Independent

Eddie Hearn has claimed Oleksandr Usyk will be stripped of his IBF world title before his rematch with Tyson Fury in December.

Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, confirmed the rematch for 21 December.

But it remains to be seen if the second fight will be for the undisputed heavyweight title, with the IBF confirming Filip Hrgovic as the mandatory challenger.

The Croatian fights Daniel Dubois in a heavyweight bout this weekend, but that fight will not be for the vacant title. Hearn has now detailed the timeline for a decision, with delays expected due to appeals before a likely fight between Anthony Joshua and the winner for the vacant title in September.

“There’s got to be a process, it will take longer than a week,” Eddie Hearn told Boxing Social.

“It’s very unlikely for that to be in place on Saturday, but it is likely that the winner of that fight [Hrgovic vs Dubois] then fights Anthony Joshua for the world heavyweight title in September, so massive permutations for that fight.”

Usyk outpointed Fury in Saudi Arabia to become the division’s first undisputed king in 24 years.

But just like Lennox Lewis before him, Usyk’s time with all the major belts could be short-lived, as it remains unclear if he can retain all four belts without facing his mandatory challenger.

With his victory over the Briton, Usyk retained the unified titles and took the WBC belt from Fury. The win made the Olympic gold medalist the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.

In November 1999, Lewis beat Evander Holyfield in a rematch to become undisputed heavyweight champion, holding the WBC, WBA and IBF titles.

Within six months, Lewis was stripped of the WBA belt, meaning he lost his undisputed status in 2000.

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Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 undercard loses significant bout after boxer fails drug test

By Darshan Desai, Uncrowned

The most anticipated fight on the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 undercard has been canceled.

Dennis McCann, the European, Commonwealth and British super bantamweight champion, failed an anti-doping test conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association in the lead-up to his bout with Peter McGrail, Turki Alalshikh announced Friday afternoon.

As a result, McCann vs. McGrail has been canceled and a full investigation has been launched into McCann's failed test by UK Anti-Doping.

It is unclear at this stage whether McGrail will remain on the card against a replacement opponent.

Usyk vs. Fury 2 takes place Dec. 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

McCann (16-0-1, 8 KOs), 23, is a southpaw represented by Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions. He is ranked No. 3 in the world at super bantamweight by the WBO, and a win over McGrail would've likely set him up for a world title shot in the near future.

Liverpool's McGrail (10-1, 6 KOs), 28, represented Great Britain at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He was brutally knocked out by Ja'Rico O'Quinn in his U.S. debut in December 2023; McGrail was well ahead on the scorecards but walked into a short right hand, which he couldn't arise from. The finish landed on the short lists for many publications for 2023's Knockout of the Year and Upset of the Year.

McGrail became the mandatory challenger for McCann's European and British titles after winning a 10-round decision over Marc Leach in his return fight in April. McGrail followed that up with an impressive second-round body-shot knockout of Brad Foster in September.

It is the second blow for the Usyk vs. Fury 2 card in the space of six days. This past Saturday, Alalshikh announced that Israil Madrimov had withdrawn from his fight with Serhii Bohachuk, which was the co-feature for the event. Madrimov is suffering from acute bronchitis and wouldn't be fit to fight Dec. 21.

Bohachuk instead takes on Britain's Ishmael Davis, who lost a majority decision on short notice to Josh Kelly in September on the Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois undercard at Wembley Stadium.

Madrimov's Feb. 22 clash with Vergil Ortiz Jr. remains unaffected.

Elsewhere on the Usyk vs. Fury 2 undercard, top prospect Moses Itauma steps up to face Australia's Demsey McKean, Johnny Fisher and Dave Allen collide in an all-British heavyweight contest, Isaac Lowe battles Lee McGregor, and Ukrainian prospects Andrii Novytskyi and Daniel Lapin return.

Usyk edged a split decision over Fury to win the undisputed heavyweight title in May. The Ukrainian became the first fighter to hold all four heavyweight belts, and in the process became a two-division undisputed champion.

The pair rematch on Dec. 21 for three heavyweight titles.

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Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 undercard complete after fighter accepts unbeaten replacement opponent

By Darshan Desai, Uncrowned

Just eight days out from the biggest fight of his career, Peter McGrail received the heartbreaking news that Dennis McCann failed a VADA anti-doping test, and as a result, their triple title fight was canceled.

While McCann vs. McGrail was generally hailed by boxing fans to be the best fight on the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 undercard, a suitable replacement has now been secured. Liverpool's McGrail (10-1, 6 KOs) will instead face unbeaten Welshman Rhys Edwards (16-0, 4 KOs) at Saturday's huge event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Edwards was previously scheduled to clash with Leon Woodstock in January in Sheffield on the Callum Simpson vs. Steed Woodhall undercard, so presumably he will already have been training.

Edwards is coming off respectable wins over Brad Foster and Thomas Patrick Ward in his past two bouts, the second of which earned Edwards the WBA Intercontinental title and a top-15 world ranking.

McGrail, a 2020 Olympian, also boxed Foster and knocked him out in just two rounds, whereas Foster extended Edwards to 10 ultra-competitive rounds in November 2023.

McGrail competes at super bantamweight while Edwards is a featherweight. Edwards' promoter Ben Shalom said on social media that the bout will be contested at the super featherweight limit of 130 pounds, however McGrail's promoter Eddie Hearn told Uncrowned that a 128-pound catchweight is also possible.

In the Usyk vs. Fury 2 co-feature, Ukrainian super welterweight Serhii Bohachuk battles another late replacement, Britain's Ishmael Davis. Bohachuk was scheduled to face Israil Madrimov on the show, but Madrimov withdrew just over a week ago because he is suffering from acute bronchitis.

Davis (13-1, 6 KOs) and Bohachuk (24-2, 23 KOs) both lost majority decisions in their previous outings. The Brit lost his unbeaten record to Josh Kelly in September on the Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois undercard at Wembley Stadium, while Bohachuk dropped Vergil Ortiz twice but narrowly fell short on the scorecards in Las Vegas.

A pair of heavyweight attractions also feature on the Usyk vs. Fury 2 undercard as top prospect Moses Itauma, 19, steps up against Australia's Demsey McKean, and British duo Johnny Fisher and Dave Allen battle in a crossroads clash over 10 rounds.

Elsewhere on the show, Isaac Lowe meets Lee McGregor in a featherweight contest, Ukrainian prospects Andrii Novytskyi and Daniel Lapin return to the ring, and Saudi Arabia's own Mohammed Alakel has his second pro fight.

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I'm glad to see Moses Itauma fight again.  I've been quite impressed with his last few fights, (even the loss)   though he has basically fought guys who WISH they were cab drivers. ( until Hrgovic.)

When Demsey McKean is considered "Stepping up,"  you know you've been slacking.

 

But he needs to get his confidence back, and fight aggressively. He was way too cautious and conservative vs Hrgovic.  A big mistake, IMO.

 

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My brain went soft there !   Got the two guys mixed up for a moment.  I think I'm finally getting old.  😟

 

Obviously McKean had the loss to Hrgovic, and fought too conservatively.   He moves well, though, when he's fresh.

 

Moses is the deal.   And only 19 y-o.   But again,  who has he really fought.    Wach still has a name, sort of, but he was practically in a wheelchair for that fight.

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Heavy weight: Challenger Fury checks in a career-high 281 pounds for title rematch with Usyk

Associated Press

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Tyson Fury checked in at a career-high 281 pounds during the weigh-in Friday, a day before his rematch with heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Britain's Fury was 55 pounds heavier than his opponent, as Usyk weighed 226. Fury was at 262 pounds in May when he lost a split decision to Usyk in their first fight.

This is Fury's heaviest weight for a fight, surpassing the 277.7 he weighed when he stopped Deontay Wilder in the seventh round of their heavyweight championship bout in February 2020.

Usyk, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist from the Ukraine, was slightly heavier than in May, when he fought Fury at 223.5 pounds.

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Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 just avoided a potential massive controversy

By Keith Idec, Uncrowned

Neither Oleksandr Usyk nor Tyson Fury took an active role in assessing the judging pool for their immediate rematch Saturday night at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Both fighters instead assigned the detail-oriented chore of eliminating unacceptable potential judges to their teams.

But Usyk’s handlers, however vehemently they might’ve protested, almost allowed one ominous judge to be approved by the Middle Eastern Professional Boxing commission (MEPB).

ESPN broadcaster/judge Fernando Barbosa was removed from judging trio for Usyk-Fury 2 just two days out from the massive championship bout. Depending on who you believe, Barbosa was either too sick to travel to Riyadh to judge Usyk-Fury 2 or someone sensible stepped in and ensured he was replaced. New Jersey’s Steve Weisfeld, widely regarded as one of the most consistent, busy judges in boxing, traveled to Riyadh on Thursday to instead fill in for Barbosa.

Another judge, Panama’s Ignacio Robles, was also flown to Riyadh on Thursday as a possible substitute for Barbosa. Robles is less proven in championship matches than Weisfeld, but he was also considered an acceptable alternative for Team Usyk to Barbosa.

Only in this fragmented mess of a sport would a broadcaster for one of ESPN’s Spanish-language channels, ESPN KnockOut, even be considered to assist in determining the outcome of a historically impactful contest in which one of its participants, Fury, is co-promoted by a company, Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc., that has an exclusive content deal with ESPN. Barbosa is also the Senior Vice President of Distribution and Production for Disney Latin America, where he's responsible for acquiring rights fee for boxing programming throughout Latin America. ESPN is owned by Disney.

Barbosa performs a comparable function for ESPN KnockOut broadcasts as Mark Kriegel does for ESPN. As an analyst, Barbosa most recently worked the network’s telecast of the Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez junior lightweight championship rematch on December 7 at Footprint Center in Phoenix.

Two weeks later, he was nearly entrusted, rather ridiculously, to score one of the most important fights in boxing history, one-half of which is financially linked to Barbosa's employer. This in no way suggests Barbosa wouldn’t have been capable of scoring Usyk-Fury fairly. He doesn’t have a history of submitting suspect scorecards. There isn’t any evidence, either, that indicates Barbosa has any relationship whatsoever with Fury.

But having an ESPN broadcaster moonlight as an official judge is a complete conflict of interests that simply shouldn’t be allowed, especially for a bout involving a Top Rank star.

Barbosa rarely judges title fights at the top level. Barbosa scored Blair Cobbs a 96-93 winner over Adrien Broner in the most recent noteworthy fight he judged, six months ago in Miami. Usyk-Fury 2, potentially the biggest heavyweight fight of a generation, would've been just Barbosa's second judging assignment since June.

Enter the WBC, just to make matters messier.

In full title unification fights, the four most recognized sanctioning organizations oftentimes are allowed to choose one official apiece by the overseeing regulatory agency. Usyk gave up his IBF belt after he defeated Fury in the spring, thus their rematch will be contested for only the WBA, WBC, and WBO belts.

The WBO submitted two of its preferred officials — referee Roberto Ramirez and Morley. The MEPB approved Martinez for the WBA. And Barbosa? He was recommended by the WBC.

This could've been especially problematic because, in addition to Barbosa’s broadcasting gig, Fury is a former WBC champion who has an overtly cozy relationship with WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman.

For the purposes of Usyk-Fury 2, at least, we thankfully avoided placing unnecessary, undeniable pressure on a conflicted judge who never even should’ve been licensed.

Even if it came at the last second and at the expense of a well-timed illness.

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Itauma sure didn't disappoint!   He looked better than ever.  The lovely feints, the incredible reaction time.  

Hard to say if he's ready for the top guys, but I'll be stoked to see it happen.

 

Allen-Fisher?  What can you say?  Same old crap. Another career ruined by greedy promoters.  This is why I don't watch boxing that much any more.

And Fisher has ZERO chance against anyone decent with 1-punch power, even with that titanium chin of his.

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Had it closer but Usyk the clear winner. Fury, Warren, Arum with their delusional spins hardly a surprise. Was concerned about the extra weight Fury put on but didn't seen to hinder him down the stretch. Took 24 rounds to learn you can't outbox Usyk. We may be watching the GOAT. The guy's a rock.

Allen-Fisher went the distance not so much because of iron chins but because both were too exhausted to knock the other out. A slow motion slog from the middle rounds.

Itauma's still a pup. Sill in the learning stages. Let Jared Anderson be a cautionary tale. By the time Itauma starts sniffing the elite, the top of the division will be unrecognisable. Perhaps at some point he fights one or two names who we know now but by that time will be on their way down. The typical "getting-a-name-on-your-resume" fights that are part of the rite of passage. In due time.

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I'd say 116-112 was about right. I think that despite his size Fury isn't physically that strong. Despite the huge weight advantage Usyk bullied him twice and Ngannou basically walked through him. In his early career McDermott did the same. He only seems effective at distance.

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116-112 seemed right. The better fighter won and that's the main thing. Think Fury will retire, he's not going to get any better. Usyk could call it a day and I've no interest in a Dubois rematch.

Thought Dave Allen beat Johnny Fisher and Rhys Edwards beat Peter McGrail (in a close fight). Moses was sensational and I'd like to see him go the traditional route of British, Commonwealth & European titles. Talks of him becoming the youngest belt holder ever is unlikely unless he goes for Pulev's WBA regular title.

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