The heavyweight championship rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk is scheduled for December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as announced by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, on Wednesday.
Usyk claimed the undisputed heavyweight title by defeating Fury via split decision in their first highly anticipated bout earlier this month. One judge scored the fight 114-113 in favor of Fury, but the other two judges scored it 114-113 and 115-112 for Usyk, securing his victory.
This victory makes Usyk the first unified heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in their 1999 rematch in Las Vegas. For Fury, it marked the first defeat of his professional career.
The two fighters had signed a two-fight deal that initially set the rematch for October 12, but Alalshikh’s announcement confirms the new date at the end of 2024.
In a post on Twitter, Alalshikh stated: “The rematch between the Undisputed Champion Oleksandr Usyk and the Champion Tyson Fury is now scheduled on the 21 of December 2024 during Riyadh Season…The world will watch another historical fight again… Our commitment to boxing fans continues…We hope you enjoy it.”
After their first fight, Fury expressed his determination to rectify his record in the rematch. “I believe I won the fight, but I’m not going to sit here and cry and make excuses,” Fury said. “I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won the majority of them. What can you do? We both put on a good fight, the best we could do. … People are siding with the country at war. But make no mistake, I won that fight … and I’ll be back. We’ve got a rematch clause.”
The initial bout was particularly grueling. Fury endured 14 unanswered punches in Round 9, leading to the eighth knockdown of his career. Usyk appeared at the post-fight press conference with four stitches in his right eye and severe swelling around both eyes.
Both fighters had undergone long training camps after the fight was postponed from its original February 17 date due to a cut Fury sustained during sparring that required 11 stitches over his right eye.
Jose Mohan, president of the Middle East Boxing Commission, told ESPN on Wednesday that Usyk received a medical suspension until July 2, while Fury was mandated to take a week of rest. “Both of ’em at the moment are both [medically] suspended because of how much the fight took out of them,” Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, told ESPN on Tuesday. “It is a tough fight. Those guys were in an epic, epic battle.”