Tyson Fury announces Oleksandr Usyk fight, reportedly set for December or January

29/09/2023 16:44

Tyson Fury v Derek Chisora: Weigh-In — Tyson Fury | Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk could finally face off soon.

On Friday, Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) announced via Instagram that a bout agreement has been signed for a heavyweight title unification bout with Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs). ESPN was first to report that the bout is tentatively set for Dec. 23 or sometime in January.

See Fury's announcement below.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tyson Fury (@tysonfury)

This puts an end to a protracted negotiation period between the undefeated boxing stars, who have repeatedly accused one another of delaying a bout agreement.

The fight is expected to take place in Saudi Arabia, where Fury competes on Oct. 28 when he faces former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in a non-title bout in Riyadh. Presumably, the date for Fury's fight with Usyk could be affected should he suffer any injuries in his fight with Ngannou.

Fury vs. Usyk will determine boxing's undisputed heavyweight champion, a title Fury previously held in 2015 after defeating Wladimir Klitschko. "The Gypsy King" vacated his titles in 2016 amid a battle with mental health and an anti-doping investigation that resulted in Fury serving a two-year suspension from competition. He later defeated Deontay Wilder to reclaim the WBC belt.

Usyk won the WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles with a unanimous decision win over Anthony Joshua in September 2021. He defeated Joshua by split call in an immediate rematch and then defended his belts against mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois this past August via ninth-round knockout.