Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk is official for Feb. 17.
Coinciding with the official announcement of the bout, the two heavyweight boxing stars squared off Thursday in London following a news conference that featured a surprise guest host appearance by Sylvester Stallone.
The Golden Globe Award-winning actor stood feet away as Fury and Usyk ground their foreheads into each other before they were separated by security.
The Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk face-off was heated 😳 🏆#RingofFire | #FuryUsyk | Feb 17 pic.twitter.com/MOEm2RlNb6
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) November 16, 2023
The undisputed title fight was originally scheduled for Dec. 23, but after Fury suffered a facial laceration in a razor-thin win over Francis Ngannou on Oct. 28, the bout is now slated for Feb. 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Fury’s fight with Ngannou was a rare crossover as one of MMA’s biggest stars gave boxing a crack. While many viewers and experts expected a lopsided affair, Ngannou did enough to earn the nod on one judge’s scorecard. As a result of the effort and near victory, Ngannou was ranked No. 10 by the WBC on Wednesday.
Usyk was ringside for the Fury vs. Ngannou match, the fight that would further delay his biggest fight to date. Usyk is the current WBA, WBO, and IBF heavyweight champion. He most recently competed in August when he defeated Daniel Dubois.
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