Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk fight: Live updates, analysis, how to watch

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will square off Saturday in perhaps the most anticipated heavyweight matchup of this millennium.

The fight will be the first undisputed heavyweight championship since Lennox Lewis vs Evander Holyfield in 1999 and the winner will become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era.

"In boxing, there's a saying that the most important division is the heavyweight division," Top Rank founder Bob Arum said. "When we have the opportunity to have an undisputed heavyweight champion crowned, as we will Saturday night, it is something very, very significant ... because not only will we be crowning the undisputed heavyweight champion, but the two participants in the fight have never, ever lost a fight. Now, how rare is that?"

Fury (34-0-1, 24 knockouts) puts his WBC heavyweight title and lineal status on the line while Usyk (21-0, 14 knockouts) enters the fight with the WBO, WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine heavyweight titles.

The fight was originally slated to take place in mid February, but a cut to Fury's head in sparring delayed the fight three months.

Stay tuned here for live updates throughout the Fury vs Usyk fight card.

Tyson Fury vs Usyk Oleksandr fight pick, prediction

This is about as 50-50 of a matchup as they come, which is exactly what you'd hope for in a fight of this magnitude. It's one of those special fights that pits two world class fighters against each other with divisional supremacy on the line. So special, that during fight week Pope Francis blessed the WBC title belt that'll be given to the winner.

Like most in the boxing world, I've gone back and forth countless times on who'll prevail Saturday.

It's easy to see Usyk dancing around the ring and Fury unable to draw him into a scrap, leading Usyk to steadily work his way to a decision on the cards. It's also feasible that Fury is able to impose his size and turn the fight into a messy affair as he often has before, smothering Usyk and clinching his way to a close decision on the cards.

I see Usyk taking some early rounds as Fury attempts to get a grasp on his movement, but as the fight goes on Fury will start to connect on more shots and find his range. If Fury isn't able to catch Usyk as he moves around the ring, then I see him trying to make the fight scrappy by throwing his weight onto Usyk and keeping him close.

Either way I think Fury does just enough to edge out a close fight on the cards and retain his lineal status, although just about any result is feasible in this one.

Prediction: Fury by split decision

Fury vs Usyk TV channel, streaming, how to watch

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will fight on ESPN+ pay-per-view and DAZN pay-per-view in the United States.

• How to watch: Top Rank on ESPN+ PPV or DAZN PPV

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Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk start time

The Fury vs Usyk fight card will start at 11 a.m. (CT) on Saturday, May 18. The main event ring walks are expected around 5 p.m. (CT).

• Pay-per-view start: 11 a.m. CT

• Fury vs Usyk start: approx. 5 p.m. CT

Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk pay-per-view price

The Fury vs Usyk pay-per-view will cost $69.99 through both ESPN+ PPV and DAZN PPV.

Where is the Fury vs Usyk fight location?

The Fury vs Usyk undisputed heavyweight title fight will take place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Kingdom Arena is a 26,000 seat soccer stadium with a retractable roof. This will be Fury's second fight in Riyadh while it will be Usyk's first, although his second in Saudi Arabia.

• Location: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk complete undercard

The Fury-Usyk undercard is loaded with top fighters and title fights. The co-main event will see Jai Opetaia, lineal cruiserweight champion, rematch Maris Briedis for the vacant IBF cruiserweight title. Joe Cordina will also defend his IBF junior lightweight title against Anthony Cacace. The full pay-per-view card is listed below.

• Main event: Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship

• Co-main: Jai Opetaia vs Maris Briedis for the lineal, Ring Magazine and IBF cruiserweight titles

• Joe Cordina vs Anthony Cacace for the IBF junior lightweight title

• Frank Sanchez vs Agit Kabayel in a WBC heavyweight title eliminator

• Sergey Kovalev vs Robin Sirwan Safar

• Moses Itauma vs Ilja Mezencev

• Mark Chamberlain vs Joshua Oluwaseun Wahab

• Daniel Lapin vs Octavio Pudivitr

Fury vs Usyk fight judges

The judges for the Fury vs Usyk fight are Manuel Oliver Palermo from Spain, Craig Metcalfe of Canada and Wisconsin's Mike Fitzgerald.

The referee will be Minnesota's Mark Nelson, who is widely considered to be one of the best referees in boxing.

What is Tyson Fury's fight record? Who's knocked Fury down?

Tyson Fury has a 34-0-1 record with 24 wins coming by way of knockout.

Fury is the former unified and current lineal heavyweight champion. He's held the WBC title since 2020 when he defeated Deontay Wilder in the pair's rematch. Fury is the No. 1 rated heavyweight by ESPN and No. 2, behind Usyk, by Ring Magazine.

Fury became a unified heavyweight champion in 2015 when he took down Wladimir Klitschko by unanimous decision. He later vacated the belts but became a two-time champion in his trilogy of fights against the Tuscaloosa born knockout artist, Wilder.

While he's never suffered a loss in his career, Fury has been knocked to the canvas on multiple occasions. Wilder knocked Fury down twice in their first fight, which ended in a split decision draw.

Wilder again sent Fury to the canvas, twice, in the pair's third fight but Fury survived and ultimately won that bout by 11th round knockout, a credit to his chin, given Wilder has 42 knockouts in his 43 wins.

Most recently Francis Ngannou shocked the world when he sat down Fury in the two's fight in October of last year, which Fury won by a somewhat controversial split decision. Fury's also been knocked down by Neven Pajkic in 2011 and Steve Cunningham in 2013.

While Usyk possesses nowhere near the punching power of Wilder or Ngannou, he'll certainly take it as a positive that Fury has shown vulnerability in recent fights. Although Fury's last outing was less than stellar, when at his best there is no other heavyweight with the combination of size, speed and skill that Fury brings to the table.

How much does Tyson Fury weigh?

Fury weighed in at 262-pounds at Friday's weigh in.

It is the lightest Fury has weighed in at since his fight against Otto Wallin in 2019. In his last fight against Francis Ngannou, which many criticized Fury's preparation for, he weighed in at just under 278-pounds.

What is Oleksandr Usyk's fight record?

Oleksandr Usyk has a 21-0 record with 14 wins coming by way of knockout.

Usyk is the No. 1 rated heavyweight and the No. 3 fighter pound-for-pound by Ring Magazine. ESPN rates him No. 2 at heavyweight, behind Fury, and No. 3 pound-for-pound.

From Ukraine, Usyk is the former undisputed cruiserweight champion, the first undisputed cruiserweight champion in the four-belt era. After becoming undisputed at cruiserweight he moved up to heavyweight and soon faced Anthony Joshua for three of the four belts in the heavyweight division.

Usyk cruised to a unanimous decision victory in that fight before successfully defending the titles in a rematch against Joshua in 2022. Usyk became the third fighter to unify cruiserweight titles before moving up to win a heavyweight belt.

Usyk has since defended his titles once, in August of 2023 against highly ranked contender Daniel Dubois.

Depending on who you ask, either Fury or Usyk could be considered the best fighter at heavyweight. Fury has never lost and remains the lineal champion, but Usyk's meteoric rise into the heavyweight division has left many calling him the top dog.

How much does Oleksandr Usyk weigh?

Usyk weighed in at 233.5-pounds at Friday's weigh in.

This is the heaviest Usyk has ever weighed in at for a fight, as he continues to fill into the heavyweight division. Usyk weighed in at 221-pounds in each of his last three fights.

Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk stats

Being the two best fighters in the heavyweight division, there are few fighters in the weight class that can touch the numbers of Fury and Usyk.

Over his last 15 fights, Fury has thrown an average of 44.8 punches per round, landing 12.5. In that same time frame, Usyk has averaged 49.6 punches thrown per round while landing 13.3, meaning Usyk lands slightly more punches per round but is less accurate than Fury.

Fury and Usyk are virtually identical in terms of power punches landed and the accuracy at which they're being landed, each connecting on roughly 40% of their power shots.

Defensively both fighters are strong. Fury opponents have landed just 6.6 punches per round against him, second fewest among top rated heavyweights. Usyk's opponents at heavyweight have landed just 19.3% of punches against him, the lowest among top rated heavyweights.

Fury is 35-years-old and stands at 6-foot-9 with an 85-inch reach. Usyk is 37-years-old and stands at 6-foot-3 with a 78-inch reach.

Statistics by Compubox

Fury vs Usyk fight odds

Tyson Fury is a -120 favorite on DraftKings, while Oleksandr Usyk is +100 to win. The over/under on rounds is 10.5.

• Fury by decision: +210

• Usyk by decision: +185

• Fury by KO/TKO: +300

• Usyk by KO/TKO: +475

Odds via DraftKings as of May 16.

What is Tyson Fury's net worth?

While Fury's exact net worth is unknown, we do have an idea of his recent career earnings.

This week Fury was named the 42nd highest paid athlete on the planet by Forbes, making $50 million in the last year. $42 million of that came in the ring with the remaining $8 million coming from endorsements and other business ventures.

Two other boxers featured on the list, Canelo Alvarez was No. 14 with $85 million in total earnings, while Fury's compatriot Anthony Joshua was No. 16 with $83 million.

Tyson Fury crashes Mike Tyson interview

Boxing fans were witness to a special moment ahead of Fury's last fight against Ngannou, when Fury crashed an interview with Hall of Famer Mike Tyson.

Fury is notably named after the former heavyweight champion from Brownsville, Brooklyn, who is set to fight Youtuber turned boxer Jake Paul in an officially sanctioned heavyweight fight this summer at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Tyson calls Fury the king of boxing before the Brit jumps into frame, hugging his namesake.

"How about me and Mike on the same camera, together. I'm named after this guy; it makes him even more of a legend," Fury said. "This guy is a bonafide living, alive, legend and I'm named after him and I'm proud to be named after him."

While Fury versus Usyk represents the biggest fight in the heavyweight division in a quarter century, Tyson versus Paul is expected to get equally as much fanfare, for very different reasons.

With one fight featuring two of the best boxers in the world, and the other featuring two of the biggest current names in boxing, the two fights will produce polar opposite shows within the ring yet both will surely attract the attention of sporting fans across the globe.

Harrison Campbell covers boxing for The Tennessean and high school sports for The Daily Herald. Email him at hcampbell@gannett.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @hccamp.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk fight: How to watch, live updates, start time