Notebook: Usyk-Fury heavyweight title rematch set for Dec. 21
Mbilli steps up vs. Derevyanchenko; Title Sports Network show; Goodman risking spot as Inoue mandatory; Quick hits; Show and tell
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The deal for the heavyweight championship fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk always included an automatic rematch regardless of the outcome and now the sequel has a date.
They will meet again for division supremacy on Dec. 21, once again in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of the country’s General Entertainment Authority, announced via social media on Wednesday.
“The rematch between the Undisputed Champion Oleksandr Usyk and the (former) Champion Tyson Fury is now scheduled on the 21 of December 2024 during Riyadh Season,” Alalshikh wrote. “The world will watch another historical fight again...Our commitment to boxing fans continues...We hope you enjoy it.”
The rematch was initially penciled in for Oct. 12 but both fighters were banged up in the first fight, making October look like a bit of a quick turnaround. Usyk suffered cuts over his right eye that needed stitches and his face was bruised. Fury got knocked down and his face was also bruised.
When they met May 18 at Kingdom Arena, Usyk won a narrow split decision — 115-112 and 114-113 for Usyk and 114-113 for Fury — in a tremendous battle to unify the four major titles. The difference between Usyk winning and it being a split draw was his knockdown of Fury in the one-sided ninth round that saw Fury in such big trouble in the final 30 seconds that referee Mark Nelson was close to stopping the fight.
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Usyk became the division’s first four-belt undisputed champion and the first undisputed champion in the 25 years since Lennox Lewis outpointed fellow Hall of Famer Evander Holyfield — both of whom were ringside — in their November 1999 rematch during the three-belt era.
Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight champion, also became the third man to become a four-belt undisputed champion in two divisions, joining Terence Crawford (welterweight and junior welterweight) and Naoya Inoue (junior featherweight and bantamweight).
Whether all four belts will be at stake in the rematch is unclear as the deal called for the winner to vacate the IBF belt. The IBF approved the undisputed fight and overdue mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic agreed to step aside for one fight to allow it to take place with everybody signing off on the winner vacating by this past Saturday, which would allow this Saturday’s bout on the “5 vs.5” card in Riyadh between Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois to be for the vacant IBF belt.
However, Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs), 37, of Ukraine, has petitioned the IBF to allow him to keep the belt and have it available in the rematch with Fury. The matter is being discussed in Riyadh this week by the promoters, Hrgovic’s management and the Saudis.
Fury and Usyk, who trailed on two scorecards after seven rounds and was even on the third, acknowledged the looming rematch in the immediate aftermath of the fight two weeks ago.
“I’m pretty busted up,” Fury said at his post-fight news conference. “We punched the fuck out of each for 12 rounds, so we’re gonna go home, eat some food, drink a few beers, spend some family time, walk my dog, and me and (co-promoter) Frank (Warren) will talk about what’s gonna happen in the future.”
Said Usyk: “Yes, of course. Rematch, I am ready for a rematch.”
Fury also said he thought he should have been declared the undisputed champion and took a shot at the judges.
“I believe I won that fight,” Fury said. “I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won a majority of them. What can you do? We both put on a great fight. Best we could do. His country's at war, so people are siding with a country at war, but make no mistake, I won that fight and I’ll be back. I got a rematch clause.”
As for Usyk, who is six inches shorter than Fury and was outweighed by 38½ pounds, he said he was confident when the scores were being read.
“I didn’t worry (about the scorecards). I don’t know why,” Usyk said in broken English. “I believed that I won.”
If you missed my interview with former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder on our recent full podcast episode we have broken it out as a stand-alone segment you can listen to right here ahead of his fight with Zhilei Zhang in the “5 vs. 5” main event on Saturday. Give it a listen, a review, and also subscribe to get an alert when the next episode is available. New shows every Thursday and Sunday night.
Title Sports Network
In my latest for Title Sports Network, Michelle Phelps and I discussed Ryan Garcia’s B-test failure and the latest; Jack Catterall’s big win over Josh Taylor in their rematch; Oleksandr Usyk’s attempt hang onto the IBF heavyweight title despite a deal in place under which he was supposed to vacate; and more. Check out the video here and subscribe to the YouTube channel:
Mbilli steps up competition
Super middleweight contender Christian Mbilli will take on the most notable opponent of his career when he faces Sergiy Derevyanchenko in a 10-rounder that will headline a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card on Aug. 17 (ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET) at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada, Top Rank announced.
“There are few fighters I enjoy watching more than Christian Mbilli, and I can’t wait to see him perform in front of the tremendous Quebec City fans,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who recently signed Mbilli to a co-promotional deal to partner with Eye of the Tiger. “That being said, he has a difficult task with Sergiy Derevyanchenko, one of the great action fighters in the sport. This will be a fight of the year contender for however long it lasts.”
To propel himself into the fight that was already set but not announced, Mbilli (27-0, 23 KOs), 28, a 2016 Olympian for France, had to defeat Mark Heffron (30-4-1, 24 KOs), 32, of England, and come away uninjured this past Saturday night. Mbilli did just that, blowing Heffron away with a body punch 40 seconds into the fight.
“It’s an honor to fight Sergiy Derevyanchenko,” Mbilli said. “I’ve been hearing about him since I was 16, in the amateur ranks, where he defeated several Frenchmen. In the pros, he has only fought big names, so this will definitely be my biggest fight to date. I can’t wait for it.”
Derevyanchenko (15-5, 10 KOs), 38, a 2008 Olympian for Ukraine and fighting out of Brooklyn, New York, who is a three-time middleweight title challenger, is coming off a shutout 10-round decision over Vaughn Alexander on April 20. It was Derevyanchenko’s first fight since moving up to super middleweight for a 12-round decision loss to Jaime Munguia in their savage 2023 BWAA fight of the year.
“I made the decision to move up to 168 to win a world title,” Derevyanchenko said. “During my entire career, I have always fought the best in the world, and on Aug. 17, it will be no different. I’m fighting a tough opponent in Christian Mbilli, who’s ranked No. 1 in the WBC. If I win this fight, I expect to fight for a world title next, which has always been my ultimate goal. I expect Aug. 17 to be a war and a fight of the year-type candidate, and I will be the winner.”
BetUS Boxing Show
If you missed the BetUS Boxing Show live at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday (change of schedule this week but back to our usual time next Friday) on YouTube, please check out the replay (and also subscribe to the YouTube channel). We previewed and picked four of the fights on the “5 vs. 5” DAZN PPV card that takes place Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: both heavyweight fights, Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang and Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois; Raymond Ford’s WBA featherweight title defense against Nick Ball; and the showdown between unbeaten rising middleweights Austin Williams and Hamzah Sheeraz. We also took viewer questions and comments and discussed the latest boxing news! Please check out the show here:
Quick hits
The IBF scheduled a purse bid for June 11 at 12 p.m. ET at its offices in Springfield, New Jersey, and via video conference for the mandatory bout between newly crowned junior lightweight titlist Anthony Cacace (22-1, 8 KOs), 35, a southpaw from Northern Ireland, and Eduardo Nunez (26-1, 26 KOs), 26, of Mexico. The fight was ordered May 23 and the sides given 30 days to make a deal or a purse bid would be scheduled, but Nunez’s representative notified the IBF it wanted an immediate purse bid, as is their right, so the IBF schedule it and notified its registered promoters. Cacace won the title via major upset when he stopped Joe Cordina in the eighth round May 18 on the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk undercard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Australia’s Sam Goodman (18-0, 8 KOs), 25, the IBF junior featherweight mandatory challenger and supposed next foe for undisputed champion Naoya Inoue, will risk his position against Chainoi Worawut in a 12-rounder July 10 at Wollongong Entertainment Centre in Wollongong, Australia, No Limit Boxing announced Wednesday. Goodman also risked his position in a fourth-round KO of Mark Schleibs to at the same venue March 13. On May 6, Goodman watched from ringside as Inoue demolished Luis Nery via sixth-round KO to retain the title in Tokyo and then joined him in the ring. A fight with Inoue would likely take place before the end of the year unless Goodman loses to Worawut (25-0-1, 15 KOs), 26, of Thailand. Also on the card, former title challenger Liam Wilson (13-3, 7 KOs), 28, of Australia, will face countryman Youssef Dib, 31, over 10 rounds. Wilson, who is moving up to lightweight, will fight for the first time since Oscar Valdez stopped in him in the seventh round for the vacant WBO interim junior lightweight title on March 29 in Glendale, Arizona.
Super middleweight prospect Darius Fulghum (11-0 10 KOs), 27, of Katy, Texas, will be in his first main event when he takes on Ronald Ellis (18-4-2, 12 KOs), 34, of Lynn, Massachusetts, in a 10-rounder on a “Golden Boy Fight Night” card June 27 (DAZN, 9 p.m. ET) at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California, Golden Boy announced Wednesday. “I’m excited to be headlining my own card,” Fulghum said. “Moments like this is what I’ve sacrificed and trained so hard for.”
Junior welterweight up-and-comer Pierce O’Leary (14-0, 8 KOs), 24, of Ireland, will face Darragh Foley (22-5-1, 10 KOs), 35, an Irish southpaw based in Australia, in the 10-round main event of a Queensberry Promotions card on June 28 (TNT Sports in the U.K.) at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the promoter announced. Foley will be fighting for the first time since a lopsided decision loss to Jack Catterall last May. In the co-feature, Conor Quinn (9-0-1, 6 KOs), 26, of Belfast, who recently signed with Queensberry, will face Conner Kelsall (11-0, 1 KO), 25, of England, for the vacant Commonwealth flyweight title.
The WBC strawweight title eliminator between Alex Winwood (4-0, 2 KOs), 26, of Australia, and Joey Canoy (20-5-2, 12 KOs), 30, a Filipino southpaw, slated for June 12 at Hordern Pavillion in Sydney, Australia, has been postponed because the entire show has been delayed due to an injury to one of the fighters in the main event. The Winwood-Canoy winner is due to become the mandatory challenger for Melvin Jerusalem (22-3, 12 KOs), 30, of the Philippines.
Show and tell
Mike Tyson had drilled Trevor Berbick to win the WBC title to become the youngest heavyweight champion and in his first defense routed James “Bonecrusher” Smith in a unification fight to claim the WBA belt. Next up, Tyson defended the unified title against Pinklon Thomas, a very credible opponent and the former WBC titlist, whose lone defeat had come by decision when he lost the belt to Berbick. Thomas was riding a three-fight winning streak after losing the title when he had the misfortune of squaring off with Tyson, who was in the early days of his devastating first title reign. Ultimately, Tyson unloaded a series of huge punches in the sixth round to knock Thomas out.
In the co-feature of the Don King-promoted HBO card at the Las Vegas Hilton, Tony Tucker won the vacant IBF heavyweight title against James “Buster” Douglas, who was highly competitive before quitting in the 10th round to earn a reputation for having no heart, which he eventually disproved when he stood up to Tyson in a great fight and knocked him out in a monumental upset to win the undisputed title. The Tyson-Thomas/Tucker-Douglas heavyweight title doubleheader took place on May 30, 1987 — 37 years ago on Thursday. Here is a very scarce thin cardboard site poster in my collection.
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Fury-Usyk photo: Queensberry Promotions
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Fury usyk it’s along wait but it will be worth it if the fight is anything like the first one
"Douglas, who was highly competitive before quitting in the 10th round to earn a reputation for having no heart, which he eventually disproved when he stood up to Tyson in a great fight and knocked him out"... and eventually reaffirmed in his quit job against Evander Holyfield, but disproved once more overcoming a diabetic coma to have a half decent career comeback.... only to be drilled in a round by a journeymen (Monaco) and fringe contender (Savarese).
Let's just say it was a complicated career for 'ole James Douglas...