Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will finally square off for the title of heavyweight champion.
According to insiders speaking to ESPN on Friday, Fury and Usyk signed contracts for a fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship that might occur on Dec. 23 or at some point in January.
In what may be considered a warm-up for the Usyk bout, Fury will face former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou on Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia before taking on his toughest opponent to date.
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Ngannou MatchUp Impact Fury-Usyk
But there’s more at stake here than just the four heavyweight championships. In boxing’s glamour division, a generational showdown will be decided between two all-time greats. It will be an uncommon encounter between two heavyweights who are both in the top 10 of their weight classes. (Usyk ranks third, Fury sixth.)
Even though Fury and Usyk are already eligible for the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, what happens in the ring will have a significant impact on whether or not they make the fabled list of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
After receiving considerable criticism when the Usyk match collapsed back in March, Fury agreed to fight an MMA opponent a few months later. Fury has now delivered not one, but two major heavyweight events spaced out over a few months.
He can utilise the Ngannou fight as an opportunity to be in fighting shape and shake off any ring rust before facing Usyk, a smaller, faster heavyweight who will try to outbox Fury.
Fury will be remembered as the best heavyweight of his generation if he can defeat Usyk, for whom he will undoubtedly be a slight betting favourite. Although Wladimir Klitschko had a lengthier reign, Fury ended it in 2015 and, with a victory against Usyk, added another future Hall of Famer to his list of accomplishments.
A victory would mean significantly more to Usyk. He would emulate the great Evander Holyfield, another fighter who dominated the cruiserweight class and also won a victory that would define his heavyweight career. Before the notorious “Bite Fight” rematch, Holyfield stunned Mike Tyson in a heavyweight championship thriller in 1996.
With a win, Usyk would have a good case for the Terence Crawford-vacated spot in ESPN’s pound-for-pound rankings.
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