Notebook: Before historic fight, fireworks at Fury-Usyk weigh-in
Full PPV lineup details; Navarrete goes for title in 4th division; added stakes for Santillan-Norman; William Zepeda bout set; more Davis-Martin undercard matches; Quick hits; Show and tell
A note to Fight Freaks Unite readers: I created Fight Freaks Unite in January 2021 and eight months later it also became available for paid subscriptions for additional content — and as a way to help keep this newsletter going and for readers to support independent journalism. If you haven’t upgraded to a paid subscription please consider it. If you have already, I truly appreciate it! Also, consider a gift subscription for the Fight Freak in your life.
The low-key vibes, brief comments and composure shown by Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk at their final news conference on Thursday gave way to a more emotional and fiery clash at the weigh-in on Friday night outdoors at BLVD City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Emotions from both men were running high the day before they will meet on Saturday (12 p.m. ET, PPV.com, DAZN PPV, ESPN+ PPV in the U.S., $69.99; also TNT Sports PPV and Sky Box Office in the U.K.) at sold-out Kingdom Arena in the most significant fight in boxing since the 2015 era-defining and long-awaited welterweight unification showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, the richest fight in history.
Fury, the lineal and WBC heavyweight champion, and Usyk, the WBO, WBA and IBF titleholder, will fight in the most meaningful bout of the 21st century so far when they meet to unify the belts and produce not only the first four-belt undisputed heavyweight champion but the first undisputed champion in the division in 25 years — since Lennox Lewis outpointed fellow Hall of Fame legend Evander Holyfield during the three-belt era in their 1999 rematch in Las Vegas.
But first Fury and Usyk had to weigh in with Usyk strolling to the stage first followed by the already-shirtless Fury.
I am in my 25th year of full-time boxing coverage. Take advantage of that experience by upgrading to a paid subscription for full access to all posts and comments — and also support independent journalism.
Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion heading into his sixth heavyweight bout and third title defense, stepped on the scale first and although emcee Michael Buffer shouted out 233.5 pounds, that was an error. Usyk, who crossed himself and pointed to the sky, was 223.5, the heaviest of his career by two pounds from when he was 221.5 for his decision win over Anthony Joshua to retain the belts in their August 2022 rematch.
Then Fury, wearing a baseball cap backwards and flexing, was 262 pounds and in far superior condition than he was in October when he was a plump 277.75, the heaviest of his career against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. He was making his pro boxing debut but cut and knocked down Fury, who was lucky to escape with a disputed 10-round split decision win.
Fury’s weight for the Usyk fight was his lightest since he was 254.5 in a decision win over Otto Wallin in 2019.
After facing the cameras, Fury and Usyk turned toward each other for the traditional face off and Fury went right to him, which is when things got hairy. He leaned in and jammed his forehead against Usyk’s, leading to shoving before they were separated but continued to point at each other and shout.
The calm, chill Fury from the day before was long gone when he turned more angry in a brief interview on stage moments later.
“I’m ready to rock and roll,” Fury shouted. “Fireworks tomorrow night. I’m gonna knock this little fucker spark out. I’m coming for his heart, that’s what I’m coming for. Fuck his belts. I’m coming for his fucking heart. He’s getting it tomorrow. Spark out! Fuck him. Fuck all his team too. Fuck the lot of them. They can all get it if they want it. Shit houses!”
And with that, Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs), 35, of England, who will be making his 11th lineal title defense since dethroning Wladimir Klitschko by upset decision in 2015 and his fourth WBC defense since knocking out Deontay Wilder in the seventh round of their 2020 rematch, quickly exited the stage.
Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), 37, a southpaw from Ukraine, then spoke forcefully when asked what his late father’s message would be to him entering the fight.
“Son, you can,” Usyk said.
As for coming across as calm as the biggest fight of his life approaches, Usyk said, “Because it’s my plan. If I will be nervous I not win.”
And then he shouted out his supporters: “My fans, I love you. See you tomorrow.”
The weigh-in
Weight from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the “Ring of Fire” PPV on Saturday: (PPV.com, DAZN PPV, ESPN+ PPV, 12 p.m. ET, $69.99): Tyson Fury 262 pounds, Oleksandr Usyk 223.5 (WBC/WBO/WBA/IBF unification for undisputed heavyweight title); Jai Opetaia 198.1, Mairis Briedis 199.1 (for Opetaia’s lineal/vacant IBF cruiserweight titles); Joe Cordina 130, Anthony Cacace 129.8 (for Cordina's IBF junior lightweight title); Frank Sanchez 238.5, Agit Kabayel 238.5 (WBC heavyweight eliminator); Moses Itauma 239.1, Ilja Mezencev 232.1; Mark Chamberlain 134.2, Joshua Oluwaseun Wahab 132.1; Sergey Kovalev 194.2, Robin Sirwan Safar 194.1; Daniel Lapin 174.7, Octavio Pudivitr 173.7; David Nyika 198.1, Michael Seitz 198.5; Isaac Lowe 125.5, Hassibullah Ahmadi 127.7.
Fury-Usyk PPV lineup
(Saturday, 12 p.m. ET at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on PPV.com, DAZN PPV, ESPN+ PPV and all major cable, telco and satellite providers in the U.S., $69.99) Main event slated to begin between 6 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. ET.
Heavyweights: Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) vs. Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), 12 rounds, WBC/WBO/IBF/WBA unification for undisputed title
Cruiserweights: Jai Opetaia (24-0, 19 KOs) vs. Mairis Breidis (28-2, 20 KOs), 12 rounds, rematch, for Opetaia’s lineal/vacant IBF title
Junior lightweights: Joe Cordina (17-0, 9 KOs) vs. Anthony Cacace (21-1, 7 KOs), 12 rounds, for Cordina’s IBF title
Heavyweights: Agit Kabayel (23-0, 16 KOs) vs. Frank Sanchez (24-0, 17 KOs), 12 rounds, WBC eliminator
Heavyweight: Moses Itauma (8-0, 6 KOs) vs. Ilja Mezencev (25-3, 21 KOs), 10 rounds
Lightweights: Mark Chamberlain (15-0, 11 KOs) vs. Joshua Wahab (23-1, 16 KOs), 12 rounds
Cruiserweights: Sergey Kovalev (35-4-1, 29 KOs) vs. Robin Safar (16-0, 12 KOs), 10 rounds,
Light heavyweights: Daniel Lapin (9-0, 3 KOs) vs. Octavio Pudivitr (9-1, 4 KOs), 10 rounds
Navarrete goes for 4th title
Emanuel Navarrete, the all-action Mexican slugger, will go for a world title in his fourth weight class when he takes on Denys Berinchyk for the vacant WBO lightweight crown in the main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card on Saturday (ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, 10:30 p.m. ET) at San Diego’s Pechanga Arena, where Navarrete made featherweight defenses in 2021 and 2022.
They will meet for one of the 135-pound belts Devin Haney vacated when he abandoned the undisputed title to move up in weight late last year.
Navarrete (38-1-1, 31 KOs), 29, has previously won the WBO title at junior featherweight, featherweight and junior lightweight, which he last defended in November in a majority draw against Robson Conceicao in a thriller.
Navarrete will attempt to become the sixth Mexican to win titles in four divisions along with Erik Morales, Jorge Arce, Juan Manuel Marquez, Leo Santa Cruz, and Canelo Alvarez.
“Just having the opportunity to add a new title in a new division, it’s something that I never thought of,” Navarrete said through an interpreter at Thursday’s news conference. “It’s something that I never dreamed of. It’s something new and achieving it would fulfill a personal goal. It will enrich my personal achievements, and it will make me satisfied with what I’ve done in my career.”
He faces a technician in Berinchyk (18-0, 9 KOs), 36, who was a 2012 Olympic silver medalist for Ukraine but did not turn pro until 2015. Berinchyk will be taking a major step up in opposition.
“Denys is an Olympian. He has a lot of experience in boxing. That's the part we have to defeat,” Navarrete said. “That's the hardest part on Saturday. However, we always work the same. We always strengthen certain things that have been seen as weak in previous fights.”
Berinchyk had little to say but was confident.
“I’m happy for Emanuel that he was the king in three divisions, but this is my division,” Berinchyk said.
Santillan-Norman stakes raises
Welterweights Giovani Santillan (32-0, 17 KOs), 32, a southpaw from San Diego, and Brian Norman Jr. (25-0, 19 KOs), 23, of Conyers, Georgia, have long been set to fight in the 12-round Navarrete-Berinchyk co-feature, but earlier this week they received the news that the fight would be for higher stakes: the vacant WBO interim title.
With unified champion Terence Crawford on his way to junior middleweight to challenge Israil Madrimov for the WBA belt, the organizations are making moves in anticipation Crawford will vacate this summer. So, the winner of Santillan-Norman is almost certainly going to be elevated to the full titleholder when Crawford vacates because it is a virtual certainty he won’t return to 147 pounds.
“I’ve been looking forward to something like this happening ever since my first fight at Pechanga San Diego back in 2021,” Santillan said. “I’ve been saying that I want to bring world title fights for myself here in San Diego. Me being born and raised here, it’s an honor for this to happen. I’m excited. I just found out (Thursday) morning (that the fight would be for the interim title). I’m ready.”
Santillan is coming off a breakthrough performance in October, when he scored three knockdowns in an overwhelming sixth-round knockout of contender Alexis Rocha in an upset before Rocha’s home area fans in Inglewood, California.
He said he is not letting that win go to his head.
“Business as usual, but I’ve had to earn my spot,” Santillan said. “It took me a lot of hard work, a lot of years to get here, and I’m planning on staying here and getting that world title Saturday night. (Norman is) a good fighter and he knows everything that’s on the line. So, I know that with him being undefeated, I’m expecting a war.”
Norman, who is taking a big step up in competition, said he has embraced fighting in Santillan’s hometown.
“Everything is against me in this fight,” Norman said. “But once again, this is where I shine the best. I thrive off of negativity. I love this opportunity. I love this moment. I’m 23 years old. He’s pretty much 10 years older than me so I’m supposed to be the baby in this situation, but best believe we're coming to throw down.
“He’s No. 1 (in the WBO rankings), plain and simple. You saw what he did to Alexis Rocha to earn his spot, so I have to earn mine. He did his thing. Time for me to do mine.”
Zepeda to fight Cabrera
Power-punching lightweight contender William Zepeda (30-0, 26 KOs), 27, a southpaw from Mexico, will fight Giovanni Cabrera in the 12-round main event of a DAZN card on July 6 at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, Golden Boy Promotions announced on Friday.
“I have but one goal and that is to become a world champion, and every fight gets me closer to that goal,” Zepeda said. “Cabrera’s only defeat is at the hands of a current world champion (Isaac Cruz), and when two Mexican boxers enter the ring, fireworks can be expected. I hope we can give the fans a great show. Nothing will stop me from achieving my dreams of becoming the best in the world.”
Zepeda has been impressive fight in and fight out but was particularly overwhelming in a one-sided fourth-round knockout of British contender Maxi Hughes in his last fight on March 16 in Las Vegas.
Cabrera (22-1, 7 KOs), 29, of Chicago, suffered his only loss via split decision to “Pitbull” Cruz in July on the Errol Spence Jr.-Terence Crawford pay-per-view undercard. Cabrera has won his only fight since, a 10-round decision over Ricardo Quiroz on March 30. Cruz went on to knock out Rolando Romero to win the WBA junior welterweight title on a different March 30 card.
“I want to make great fights; Zepeda versus Cabrera is a great Mexican fight,” Cabrera said. “July 6 he is going down.”
BetUS Boxing Show
If you missed the BetUS Boxing Show live at 1 p.m. ET on Friday on YouTube, please check out the replay (and also subscribe to the YouTube channel). We previewed and picked three fights on a huge Saturday: the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk undisputed heavyweight title fight and lineal cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia’s rematch with Mairis Breidis in the co-feature as well as the Emanuel Navarrete-Denys Berinchyk vacant WBO lightweight title bout that headlines the Top Rank on ESPN card. We also took viewer questions and comments and discussed the latest boxing news! Please check out the show here:
Quick hits
Weights from San Diego for the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card Saturday (10:30 p.m. ET): Emanuel Navarrete 135 pounds, Denys Berinchyk 134.8 (for vacant WBO lightweight title); Giovani Santillan 146.4, Brian Norman Jr. 146.5 (for vacant WBO interim welterweight title); Richard Torrez 229.9, Brandon Moore 229.4; Jonny Mansour 134, Anel Dudo 130.8; Emiliano Vargas 139.6, Angel Varela 140; Alan Garcia 137.8, Wilfredo Flores 136.9; Jonathan Lopez 127.1, Edgar Ortega 127.6; Art Barrera Jr. 146, Levy Garcia Benitez 143.9.
A deal is being finalized for junior welterweight contender Gary Antuanne Russell (17-0, 17 KOs), 27, a 2016 U.S. Olympian from Capitol Heights, Maryland, to face former WBA titlist Alberto Puello (22-0, 10 KOs), 29, a Dominican southpaw, for the vacant WBC interim 140-pound belt on the undercard of the PBC on Prime PPV topped by Gervonta Davis-Frank Martin June 15 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, sources with knowledge of the plans told Fight Freaks Unite. Coming off a 13-month layoff, Russell KO’d Kent Cruz in the first round last August in his only fight of 2023. Now he’ll end a 10-month layoff. Puello was set to make his first defense against Rolando Romero last May but tested positive for clomiphene in a random Voluntary Anti-Doping Association test a month before the fight. He was dropped from the bout, stripped of the title and suspended for six months. He returned in December for an eight-round decision win over unbeaten Ector Maderna.
Glendale, Arizona, middleweight Elijah Garcia (16-0, 13 KOs), 21, one of boxing’s best prospects, and Kyrone Davis (18-3-1, 6 KOs), 29, of Wilmington, Delaware, have been rescheduled for a 10-rounder that will be one of the free preliminary bouts Prime Video will stream before the PBC on Prime PPV card headlined by Gervonta Davis-Frank Martin on June 15 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, a source with knowledge of the plans told FFU. Garcia and Davis were scheduled for a preliminary streaming fight on the Tim Tszyu-Sebastian Fundora PBC on Prime PPV card March 30 in Las Vegas, but Garcia fell ill a few days beforehand and it was called off.
Isaac Chamberlain (16-2, 8 KOs), 30, of England, will face Jack Massey (21-2, 12 KOs), 31, of England, for the vacant European and Commonwealth cruiserweight titles on June 15 (Peacock in U.S., Sky Sports in U.K.) at Selhurst Park in London, Boxxer announced. The bout will take place on the card headlined by Chris Billam-Smith’s WBO cruiserweight title defense against British countryman Richard Riakporhe. Former British champion Chamberlain was scheduled to challenge Michal Cieslak (26-2, 20 KOs), 30, of Poland, for his European title but he suffered an injury this week, was forced out of the fight and elected to vacate, Boxxer said. Massey’s only loss was a decision at heavyweight to former titlist Joseph Parker in January 2021. Massey won his only fight since in January.
Show and tell
Sugar Ray Leonard is one of the greatest fighters of all time. He was my childhood boxing idol and it was a privilege to eventually get to know him a bit and work with him as a broadcast partner about a decade ago when we called fights together as part of the broadcast team on Epix. He won a 1976 Olympic gold medal, claimed world titles in three weight classes — welterweight, junior middleweight and middleweight — and became one of the biggest stars in boxing history. He was the centerpiece of the legendary “Four Kings” along with Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran and Marvin Hagler, who ruled the 1980s with their iconic round robin of bouts. Ray turned 68 on Friday, so Happy Birthday to the Hall of Fame great! I have many pieces related to his career in my collection but here is a one of my favorite posters, a closed circuit version from his epic first battle with Hearns, whom he famously stopped in the 14th round to unify the welterweight division to become undisputed champion in the 1981 fight of the year and one of the most anticipated bouts in history.
A note to subscribers
I sincerely appreciate your readership. If you’re reading, it means you love boxing just like I do. If you’ve been reading you also know the quality and quantity of what I produce. It’s one-stop shopping. Read the newsletters and there is no need to search multiple websites or click a multitude of links to get the latest news, opinion and detailed fight schedule. Everything you need is in one spot and delivered directly to your inbox (or via phone alert if you download for free the superb Substack app). You don’t have to hunt for the news; it comes to you.
I believe that is worth something, so while I will continue providing stories, notes and the schedule for free, I encourage you to upgrade to a paid subscription for the most content. A paid subscription is your way of keeping this reader-supported newsletter going and supporting independent journalism. I am beholden to no network, promoter, manager, sanctioning body or fighter. If you have read my work at all during the past 24 years I’ve covered professional boxing you know that I keep it real and that will not change.
To upgrade your subscription please go here:
Thank you so much for your support of Fight Freaks Unite!
Photos: Fury-Usyk: Mikey Williams/Top Rank; Navarrete-Berinchyk and Santillan-Norman: Top Rank
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danrafael1/
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanRafael1
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanRafaelBoxing
Great bill
Excellent Notebook edition. Filed it away as one to look back on - thanks.