PHOTO: Fury, Usyk to meet again on Saturday for heavyweight rematch

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will meet in a 12-round heavyweight rematch in Riyadh on Saturday December 21 as the Briton bids for revenge and heavyweight gold.

The ring walks for the main event is expected at 10pm UK and Ireland time.

Usyk smartly outpointed Fury in May, becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years.

With that, the Ukrainian stayed unbeaten and handed Fury his first professional defeat.

Usyk, 37, then vacated the IBF title, meaning only three of the four major belts are on the line this time. But Fury, 36, will still be highly motivated to avenge his defeat, especially after Usyk came close to stopping the “Gypsy King” in round nine.

How much money are Fury and Usyk making?

According to Sky Sports, reports suggested that the overall purse for the first fight was around $150m (£116m), with Fury taking roughly 70 per cent of that.

For the rematch, the purse is reported to be closer to $191m (£150m), and while the split has not been disclosed, Usyk should earn a greater percentage than he did in May.

The 12 rounds bout for the unified heavyweight titles, will take place on Saturday 21 December. The rematch will take place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

While start times and the full undercard are yet to be released, previous fights in Saudi Arabia have seen the main event start shortly after 10pm GMT.

Previous fight between Fury and Usyk 

Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury in Riyadh in May to emerge boxing’s first four-belt undisputed heavyweight champion.

Dubbed the “Ring of Fire,” the memorable show put on by the two heavy punchers was ultimately won by Usyk after a combative ninth-round demolition of Fury. Usyk, by virtue of a split-decision points victory snatched Fury’s WBC belt, to add to his WBA, WBO and IBF belts.

Fury was out on his feet and saved from a technical knockout by the bell.

The three judges scored the fight 115-112, 113-114, and 114-113, with Usyk winning on a split 2-1 decision. Fury immediately disagreed with the verdict, maintaining that he won more rounds. “I believe I won that fight. He won a few rounds, but I won more of them. Make no mistake, I won that fight, and I’ll be back,” the British fighter said in the post-match interview.

Both fighters entered the ring with undefeated records, and Fury initially appeared to have the upper hand, using his longer reach to keep 37-year-old Usyk at bay.

However, Fury’s ninth-round collapse gave the Ukrainian the edge. “Thank you so much to my team. It’s a big opportunity for my family and my country,” said Usyk afterward.

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