Tyson Fury will get his shot at redemption with a Christmas date for his Oleksandr Usyk rematch.
The Gypsy King will face the undisputed heavyweight champion on December 21 in Riyadh. Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh has confirmed the date for the rematch and stated it will be part of ‘Riyadh Season’.
Fury, 35, made it clear that his intention was to have the rematch after initially deliberating whether or not to press ahead with his career. The Morecambe-based boxer triggered the release clause last week, as revealed by Daily Star Sport .
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As per the contract, the loser of the first bout would decide if they wanted the second fight. Usyk took the WBC heavyweight crown from Fury earlier this month to add to his WBA, WBO and IBF belts after a stunning clash in Saudi Arabia.
The Ukrainian became the first undisputed champion in the division since Lennox Lewis back in 1999.
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(Image: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Alalshikh – the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and the the sport’s most powerful broker – had earmarked October for the rematch in Riyadh.
But with the bout being such a tough battle for both, they’ve been given extra recovery time to get ready. The Ukrainian had an issue with his jaw in the bout but was given the all clear by medics afterwards.
However, he was provisionally suspended by the UAE Boxing Commission – who oversaw the main event in Saudi and not the British Boxing Board of Control – due to injuries.
(Image: YouTube/Sky Sports News)
Fury was also given a seven-day suspension because of his injuries. Usyk is in danger of being stripped of the IBF title because the mandatory defence is due with Filip Hrgovic the No 1 contender.
But now Fury has taken the rematch, he won’t be able to face the IBF’s challenger. It is understood a letter has been sent to the IBF on the matter and they are hoping they can convince the sanctioning body to hold off on stripping Usyk.
Once they call the mandatory, Usyk would have 28 days to negotiate a deal.