Nick Peet: Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk preview

FOR the first time this century, boxing will crown an undisputed heavyweight champion of the world on Saturday night out in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Tyson Fury aims to follow in the footsteps of Britain’s greatest boxer, Lennox Lewis, in defeating a former undisputed cruiserweight king turned heavyweight champion to reach sport’s credential summit.

Twenty-five years on, Oleksander Usyk plays the role of Evander Holyfield looking for a reversal of outcome of their 1999 undisputed fight, and also reinforcing his own credentials as boxing’s pound-for-pound greatest champion.

It’s taken the deep pockets of the Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season to finally bring the two leading heavyweights together and, late Saturday night, someone’s unbeaten record will be lost in the desert.

THE GYPSY KING

Fury, 35, starts as betting favourite, having held all previous versions of the heavyweight title belts during his career and armed with signature wins over the likes of Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder.

Unbeaten in 35 starts, the Mancunian based out of Morecambe Bay is like no other heavyweight in history in that he’s six-foot-nine and north of 250lb’s, yet boasts astute fight IQ coupled with fast hands and nimble footwork.

He went to Germany to end the decade-long Klitschko reign, then imploded outside of the ring, only to come back from the bring to defeat Wilder at his own game twice with back-to-back knockouts.

A fighting man through and through, ‘The Gypsy King’ is the biggest star in British pay-per-view sport.

POUND-4-POUND

Naturally, Usyk, 37, is a megastar at home in Ukraine, despite the fact every one of his 11 world title fights have taken place overseas.

As an amateur he won golds at European, Worlds and Olympic level, before turning pro in 2013. It took him only 10 fights to become cruiserweight world champion and just five more to unify and be crowned undisputed.

A switch to heavyweight soon followed and his consecutive points wins over Anthony Joshua – the first at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the second in Riyadh – elevated him to P4P status.

Only Japan’s four-weight world champion Naoya Inoue and American sensation Terence Crawford have the right to rank their unbeaten achievements alongside that of Usyk. Yet if he beats Fury those claims be counted out.

VIOLENT CHESS

Both Fury and Usyk are extremely intelligent operators, champions with the ability to read opponents, mix up gameplans and unlock opportunities with precision footwork and punches.

Fury has all the natural advantages like size, reach, power and weight – he will be at least 30 pounds heavier on fight night – but Usyk has speed, technique, form and opportunity in his favour, after all, Fury is there to be hit.

The Ukrainian has fought far more consistently at the top level too. Half of his 21 pro fights have been world title fights, against world champions, he’s taken no easy fights or short cuts.

Of Fury’s 35 fights just six have been at the highest level, and half of them were against the same man. But you can also argue that makes him the fresher fighter, he’s manoeuvred himself to the top via a path of least resistance.

Last time out, Fury laboured to a lousy and controversial points win over former UFC champ and boxing debutant Francis Ngannou. But that was Tyson at his unmotivated worst. He’ll be a different animal on Saturday.

Usyk also never escaped criticism after being dropped by a debated low blow against Daniel Dubois last August. Yet he got up to claim his first heavyweight stoppage minutes later.

Expect A Side Fury to have some sticky moments, but eventually his size should prove too much for the most talented fighter he’s beaten to date.

TIP: Fury on Points (2/1)