Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk: Stats and Stakes

Previewing the undisputed showdown

After a lengthy wait and an injury delay, on Saturday it’s here (DAZN PPV, 12 PM EST).

If we look at this era at heavyweight as having started with Tyson Fury’s upset of Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, there is a lot to be thankful for. It’s been a much more interesting decade at heavyweight than the one that preceded it. 

The dominance of the Klitschko era was commendable but the number of truly memorable fights doesn’t feel long. That’s not the case in the years since Fury-Klitschko. There was Fury’s memorable trilogy with Deontay Wilder; Anthony Joshua’s classic with Klitschko, upset loss to Andy Ruiz, and pair of fights with Oleksandr Usyk; Wilder’s first war with Luis Ortiz and surprising upset loss to Joseph Parker; Dillian Whyte’s clashes with Alexander Povetkin, Dereck Chisora; Parker’s battles with Whyte, Joe Joyce, and Zhang Zhilei.

It’s just some of the action. There has been more and we’ve had a fun era of big men.

That doesn’t mean it couldn’t have been more. 

We didn’t get Joshua-Wilder when both had a knockout win over every opponent in their careers. Usyk has basically only fought once a year since moving to the division in 2019. It felt like we might not get this one for a while but they got it in the ring.

With all the straps on the line, it’s the culmination of the era. That’s not the same as an ending. There are still fights to make that we haven't seen but it’s whittled down clearly to two. While Ring and TBRB recognize Usyk as champion, errantly in the opinion of this scribe because Fury never really retired anytime since 2015, it’s clear Fury remains history’s man. 

Can Usyk join Evander Holyfield as only the second lineal and undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight?

Let’s get into it.