Saudi: Riyadh Season-Fury and Usyk Set for Undisputed Championship Clash in ‘Ring of Fire’
In a historic matchup, WBC and Lineal Champion Tyson ‘The Gypsy King’ Fury is set to face WBO/IBF/WBA unified champ Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday, February 17, at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. This bout will determine the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis held the title in 1999, with four belts on the line for the first time in history.
Dubbed Ring of Fire, this epic showdown is a highlight of Riyadh Season, one of the world’s largest winter entertainment events. Fans worldwide will witness the monumental fight presented by Riyadh Season.
Fury, who kicked off Riyadh Season with a victory over lineal MMA heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou, expressed his determination at a press conference in London on Thursday. “Usyk, you can run, but The Gypsy King is coming to get you. This is my era, and your time is up. Your undefeated record and your belts, they will be mine!”
Usyk, equally confident, stated, “I have no goal, only the way. And my way is ‘The Undisputed.’ That is why this was the only fight for me. When that bell rings, I will bring the fire.”
The significance of this event was emphasized by Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, who said: “This is history in the making, a fight the world has waited for. Now it is a reality, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is excited to be hosting this era-defining fight.”
Frank Warren of Queensberry expressed gratitude to Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman for his vision in making the event happen.
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum added, “Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are the best heavyweights of their era, and this undisputed battle in the beautiful city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, promises to be a sensational fight and a history-making event.”
Usyk’s manager, Alex Krassyuk, shared his excitement, saying, “Proud of Usyk, respect to Tyson. Let the best man win and we celebrate Usyk’s second undisputed!”
Fury, with a record of 34-0-1, 24 KOs, has held the heavyweight championship since November 2015. Usyk, an Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine, holds a record of 21-0, 14 KOs, and aims to become only the second cruiserweight champion ever to achieve undisputed status in the heavyweight division.
