Fury vs. Usyk Rematch Being Planned For October

The Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk rematch is being planned for October 12/13. 

That is according to Turki Alalshikh. The Undisputed Heavyweight Championship takes place on May 18. The winner will become the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999 when he defeated Evander Holyfield to claim all the bells. Both men are undefeated, meaning a victory makes them the best heavyweight of their era. Fury has won all the belts at heavyweight. However, he has never been an undisputed champion.

Meanwhile, Usyk has become an undisputed champion at cruiserweight. He has moved up to heavyweight and is the current unified champion. The fight has been talked about for some time. It was initially meant to go ahead on December 23 last year. Fury withdrew after a tough fight with Francis Ngannou, where he was dropped in the third round with a left hook.

While Fury won a split decision, he came out with visible cuts and bruises on his face. There were also suggestions that Ngannou had been robbed of his biggest win. The fight was then rescheduled for February 17. After sustaining a big cut over his right eye in sparring, Fury pulled out again. The Saudis responded by issuing a $10 million fine on either fighter if they pulled out again.

Fury vs. Usyk

There were suggestions that the winner could fight Anthony Joshua next. However, the Saudis plan on holding the rematch in October, meaning that the fighters have a quick turnaround time from the first bout to prepare for the next one. Nevertheless, that all depends on a variety of factors.

If the fight does not turn out to be competitive, the demand to see it may not be there. Deontay Wilder’s loss to Joseph Parker demonstrated that. Before that fight, Wilder and Joshua had signed a two-fight deal. This was dependent on both men coming through with the wins. Joshua beat Otto Wallin, making him quit on the stool.

Meanwhile, Wilder only won a single round before losing a comprehensive unanimous decision. The fight was still big, regardless of the defeat, given that they had been linked with a fight since 2018. They were in talks for an undisputed bout in 2018. Wilder’s side had reportedly sent Joshua’s team a $50 million offer. However, it was reportedly based on the condition that his team had to accept the offer before sending an official contract. Those terms were not agreeable, meaning that the fight never got made.

While Fury-Usyk is the biggest fight of this year, the Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fight also showed that the demand to see a rematch may not be there if it plays out in a one-sided fight. Mayweather won an easy unanimous decision, with Pacman failing to trouble the boxer. So before any talk of a rematch happens, boxing fans will hope that it is a competitive bout come fight night.

Canelo vs. Crawford

Aside from that, the Saudis are also keen on making Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford. Alvarez is coming off a unanimous decision win over Jamie Munguia to retain his Undisputed Super Middleweight Title. After the win, Alvarez said he would fight David Benavidez for the right money. He has suggested a figure of $150-200 million. The Saudis have shown no sign of putting that money up.

Crawford, meanwhile, is preparing to face Israil Madrimov on August 3 for his WBA Junior Middleweight Belt. A win makes Crawford a four-division champion. Bud has been chasing the Canelo fight to try and become undisputed in a third weight class. Canelo has ruled it out, saying he will get no credit for beating a smaller man. But it appears the Saudis are keen on making that. 

“I’m working to deliver [Canelo], but it will be big fight [for Crawford]. I’ll discuss with him the names,” Turki Alalshikh stated 

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