Tyson Fury fights Oleksandr Usyk in an undisputed world heavyweight title bout tonight and says he is unconcerned by his legacy as a fighter.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Telegraph Sport, Fury said: “I’m not too concerned about what people are going to be saying in 100 years. The dust from our bones won’t exist in 100 years, never mind what they say about a boxing match in 100 years.”
Fury weighed in at 262lb on Friday and Usyk tipped the scales at 233lb, a career heaviest for the Ukrainian.
The rivals almost came to blows on a packed weigh-in stage, with a cacophony of noise having greeted the Briton. As the two fighters came together for the face-off, Fury put his head in on Usyk and then shoved his foe, but they were quickly separated by security guards.
In the build-up to the bout, see our range of pre-fight predictions from around the boxing world and read three of Usyk’s former opponents on what makes him so difficult to beat.
When is Fury v Usyk?
The undisputed heavyweight clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will take place tonight (Saturday). The ring walks are expected at around 11pm (BST).
The much-hyped encounter had originally been due to take place in Saudi Arabia in February but was postponed after the Briton suffered a “freak cut” above the eye in training.
At a media event on Monday, John Fury, Tyson’s father, headbutted a member of Usyk’s entourage. On Thursday the two fighters came face-to-face at a press conference – or would have done had Tyson Fury not refused to face-off with his Ukrainian opponent.
Where to watch Fury vs Usyk in the UK?
The fight will be available in the UK via DAZN, Sky Sports and TNT Sports.
The cost will be £24.95 via Sky Sports Box Office; or £24.99 for new DAZN customers (that price also includes a month’s subscription to the streaming service). It will cost £23.99 for existing customers. TNT Sports Box Office will charge viewers £24.99 to watch the fight.
Is Fury vs Usyk on the radio?
No. The BBC have been unable to secure the radio broadcast rights despite flying out to Saudi Arabia to try and do so. Talksport is also unable to broadcast the bout, owing to a long-running dispute with Fury’s camp. As a result, the fight will not be broadcast on the radio in the UK.
Where is the fight being held?
The bout will be in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Both teams flew into Saudi Arabia earlier this month to begin the build-up to the fight.
What’s at stake?
Most significantly, boxing will have an undisputed heavyweight champion for the first time since Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield in Las Vegas 25 years ago.
Speaking to Telegraph Sport, Lewis explained why it has taken so long to get an undisputed match-up back on the agenda and why there was so little trash talking back in his day.
Fury holds the WBC belt, which he won in 2020 when he beat Deontay Wilder. He has defended that belt three times, against Wilder, Dillian Whyte and, most recently, Derek Chisora.
Usyk has held the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles since beating Anthony Joshua in 2021. He had defended those titles twice: in a rematch with Joshua and most recently against Daniel Dubois.
Both Fury and Usyk are undefeated so far in their professional boxing careers. The winner will become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era.
