Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are gearing up for their blockbuster world undisputed heavyweight title showdown in May – and the undercard has now been officially confirmed. The event is set to go down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
On May 18, Fury and Usyk will finally meet to determine the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in March 1999. The two fighters are widely considered the best in the heavyweight division, and the anticipated fight will see WBC champion Fury put his crown on the line against Usyk, whose WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles he won from Anthony Joshua will be up for grabs.
However, given His Excellency Turki Alalshikh is a fan of the division, Fury and Usyk will not be the only heavyweights on the card. Contender duo Frank Sanchez and Agit Kabayel have been added to the undercard of the fight at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia.
Kabayel, who boasts a 24-0 record with 16 KOs, will feel confident heading into the fight after clinching a surprising fourth-round knockout win over previously unbeaten heavyweight contender Arslanbek Makhmudov on the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card back in December. Despite Makhmudov being the favourite, the German dropped him three times en route to a memorable win.
Meanwhile, Sanchez is coming off a seventh-round knockout win over Junior Fa. Sanchez possesses an unblemished 24-0 record with 17 knockouts.
Elsewhere, Jai Opetaia will face Mairis Briedis in a rematch after the Australian defeated the three-time cruiserweight champion over twelve rounds in July 2022. Opetaia was stripped of his title when he fought Ellis Zorro in December.
Joe Cordina will also defend his IBF super-featherweight title against Irishman Anthony Cacace, while Mark Chamberlain will return to Saudi Arabia to face Joshua Oluwaseun after appearing on the undercard of the heavyweight showdown between Joshua and Francis Ngannou in Riyadh. Chamberlain was personally selected by his excellency after seeing him in action at York Hall.
Moses Itauma, who hopes to break Mike Tyson’s record as the youngest world champion in history, will face Ilja Mazencev. The full Fury-Usyk undercard is below:
- Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis
- Joe Cordins vs. Anthony Cacace
- Frank Sanchez and Agit Kabayel
- Mark Chamberlain vs. Joshua Oluwaseun
- Sergey Kovalev vs. Robin Sirwan
- Isaac Lowe vs. Hasibullah Ahmadi
- Ahmadi David Nyika vs. Michael Seitz
- Moses Itauma vs. Ilja Mazencev