Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk rematch confirmed as date pushed back for heavyweight showdown
A rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will take place on December 21 in Saudi Arabia.
Fury suffered his first professional defeat earlier this month when beaten on points by Usyk, as the Ukrainian become boxing’s first undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era.
The pair had already signed for a second bout, regardless of the outcome, and Fury swiftly made it clear he would be triggering his rematch clause.
“I believe I won the fight but I'm not going to sit and cry and make excuses,” Fury said in the ring. “We'll run it again.”
There were initially suggestions that the two would meet again in October, but that date has been pushed back after a prolonged build-up – a cut to Fury postponed a planned February date – and what proved to be a bruising encounter.
Saudi Arabia's chair of General Entertainment Authority Turki Alalshikh posted on social media: “The rematch between the Undisputed Champion Oleksandr Usyk and the Champion Tyson Fury is now scheduled on the 21 of December 2024 during Riyadh Season..
“The world will watch another historical fight again. Our commitment to boxing fans continues. We hope you enjoy it.”
It is unlikely that the fight in December will be for all the heavyweight belts, with Usyk set to be stripped of his IBF title due to not fulfilling his mandatory requirements.
Usyk has requested an exception to keep hold of the belt for the rematch with Fury, which would leave current mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic facing another delay to his hopes of getting a world title shot.
Hrgovic fights Daniel Dubois this weekend, and promoter Eddie Hearn has suggested that Anthony Joshua could face the winner later this year for the IBF title, if Usyk is stripped.