Tyson Fury reveals 23 December date for heavyweight fight with Usyk
Tyson Fury has revealed his undisputed heavyweight showdown with Oleksandr Usyk is set to take place two days before Christmas on 23 December.
Fury and Usyk signed contracts last month for the eagerly anticipated clash, which will take place in Riyadh and be the first undisputed contest in the blue riband division since Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield at Madison Square Garden in 1999 when all the belts were on the line.
At the time of the 29 September announcement from Queensberry and K2 Promotions no date for the bout was revealed, but Fury has now seemingly confirmed it will take place two days before Christmas.
Fury is currently in Riyadh preparing to face UFC fighter Francis Ngannou on Saturday, although has no concerns over the eight-week gap between this weekend’s tune-up bout and the proposed date to take on Usyk.
He told Sky Sports: “We’ve signed the contracts. December 23, that’s out there isn’t it? It’s only eight weeks away from Saturday. Why not? I’ve not even had a fight this year so to get two in before the end of the year would be fantastic.
“Double payday. There’ll be a nice big turkey in the Fury household this Christmas! If it happens December 23,
I’ll be playing that song ‘Driving Home For Christmas’. I won’t land back in the UK until late Christmas Eve and if we get a delay I’ll be spending Christmas with the reindeers in the airport!”
Fury will contest the 35th bout of his career this weekend, but his WBC title will not be on the line against Ngannou for the 10-round fight.
Deontay Wilder has said he wants to fight Anthony Joshua next, insisting it would be a “major disaster” if the pair never fought each other. “[This is] a fight everyone is looking forward to, and hopefully it happens and I’m doing everything in my power to make it happen,” Wilder said on Instagram.
Wilder and Joshua were unable to agree terms for an undisputed showdown when they held all four major world heavyweight titles between them, but speculation has been building recently that the two former champions could finally meet in 2024.