[ POLL ] The Unification Fight: FURY vs USYK 18th MAY 2024 re-scheduled

[JollyGood]

If you look through the mainstream media, it does seem to be very quiet even though the magnitude of what is actually going to happen on 17th February 2024 is known to boxing fans and the media.

I cannot remember a fight anywhere close to the prominence of a unification being muted to this level. They had a face to face and after that it has been fairly quiet. It goes without say there will be an increase in hype and promotion as the countdown to the fight begins in the beginning of February but maybe this strategy suits both boxers as they can simply stay away with their training teams and focus on their preparations.

It's the biggest fight lined up for sure but I've not really seen much hype or promo for it in a while. Maybe the big Saudi Day of Reckoning fight took over for December. Have they got any press conferences lined up? You'd think they'll start to ramp up promo now since it's next month and the busy Christmas and new year period is now over. I don't think they've announced any undercard fights yet either. Hopefully the Saudi's didn't blow all their beans on last month's fight.

[JollyGood]

Rumours are going around that Tyson Fury could pull out of the fight because he is not motivated enough.

Personally, I do not believe he will postpone the fight but his motivation has to be questioned. After his trilogy of fights against Wilder, it seems as though Fury has not been at his best and does not portray himself as someone who is desperate to unify the titles. Usyk has himself not been at his absolute best either but hopefully both boxers will be ready to fight on the night..

[hilariousetc]

Rumours are going around that Tyson Fury could pull out of the fight because he is not motivated enough.

Personally, I do not believe he will postpone the fight but his motivation has to be questioned. After his trilogy of fights against Wilder, it seems as though Fury has not been at his best and does not portray himself as someone who is desperate to unify the titles. Usyk has himself not been at his absolute best either but hopefully both boxers will be ready to fight on the night..

I wouldn't listen to unsubstantiated rumours unless they're from a reliable source, but I am starting to question whether this fight is still going to happen and I wouldn't be surprised if Fury comes out with an "injury" excuse or something. I'm not sure what more motivation he would need than the ridiculous amounts Saudi are throwing at him. The fight is a little over a month away now and there's been zero press for it. It's almost like it isn't even happening. Neither fighter or their respective promoters have been posting about it or mentioning it in interviews and there's still no undercard fighters announced and some reputable boxing podcasts have also started to question whether it's still happening. If they don't announce a press conference or start promoting it on social media soon what are they waiting for? Something just doesn't feel right with a fight of this magnitude. The press conference for the AJ/ Ngannou fight is on Monday and the promoters have promised some huge fight announcements for the undercard so that fight is at risk of overshadowing this one, especially if it's another stacked card and with Wilder, Zhang and Parker all rumoured to be on it it easily could.

[hilariousetc]

Well it looks like they're finally doing some promo at least as they've finally unveiled the promo poster for the "Ring of Fire" fight on their socials:



https://www.instagram.com/p/C2FBgZrt1GY/

Still no undercard and I suspect the press conference for the AJ/Ngannou fight is going to overshadow everything else, which is supposed to be today but I've not heard anything about it so far which is weird so not sure if it's still happening today or not.

[TopTort777]

Still no undercard and I suspect the press conference for the AJ/Ngannou fight is going to overshadow everything else, which is supposed to be today but I've not heard anything about it so far which is weird so not sure if it's still happening today or not.

Also on February 17 we have UFC 298 - Volkanovski vs. Topuria, plus bunch of other cool fights. UFC even is going to steal some viewers.

The fight is in one month only, and there is almost no promotion of it. Anyone ever saw a banner somewhere? Checked Fury media - he not a single post of him training. Where it is going to be aired? DAZN ? ESPN ? TNT Sports ? Expect fight not to happen. Everyone will again talk how it is impossible to negotiate with other side due to money.

P.S. Imho people are more interested in AJ vs Ngannou and Beterbiev vs Bivol in April.

[hilariousetc]

Still no undercard and I suspect the press conference for the AJ/Ngannou fight is going to overshadow everything else, which is supposed to be today but I've not heard anything about it so far which is weird so not sure if it's still happening today or not.

Also on February 17 we have UFC 298 - Volkanovski vs. Topuria, plus bunch of other cool fights. UFC even is going to steal some viewers.

They'll be on at different times though. The UFC fights are normally early Sunday morning in the UK and the Saudi boxing will probably be at a reasonable time of 8PM GMT.

Still no undercard and I suspect the press conference for the AJ/Ngannou fight is going to overshadow everything else, which is supposed to be today but I've not heard anything about it so far which is weird so not sure if it's still happening today or not.

The fight is in one month only, and there is almost no promotion of it. Anyone ever saw a banner somewhere? Checked Fury media - he not a single post of him training. Where it is going to be aired? DAZN ? ESPN ? TNT Sports ? Expect fight not to happen. Everyone will again talk how it is impossible to negotiate with other side due to money.

As linked above Turki Alalshikh posted it on his insta and both Tyson and Usyk shared it to their stories. Not sure why they haven't posted the poster to their main pages yet but I'm sure it's coming. They really do need to ramp up the promo but maybe they've been finalising the undercard to make some big fights to grab headlines. It should be a feast of fights combined with the AJ/Nagannou fight but they're going to be competing for the big names which Eddie has promised for the AJ/Ngannou fight, and if there's going to be any of the fighters from the last AJ fight they'll probably have to skip the Fury/Usyk card as they'll need the extra month for training no doubt. Opetaia is rumoured to be on the Usyk fight which could happen since he took no damage in his last fight: https://www.boxingscene.com/jai-opetaia-land-on-feb-17-fury-usyk-undercard-train-with-fury-ahead-championship-defense--180644

P.S. Imho people are more interested in AJ vs Ngannou and Beterbiev vs Bivol in April.

I dunno. It's pretty close for excitement but I think the undisputed has to take precedence but they really need to start hyping it up. Personally I think the Fury/Usyk fight could be boring but someone's O has to go so there's jeopardy there. Hopefully there's a bit of spice in the fight rather than just Usyk dodging everything Fury throws at him.

[JollyGood]

I wouldn't listen to unsubstantiated rumours unless they're from a reliable source, but I am starting to question whether this fight is still going to happen and I wouldn't be surprised if Fury comes out with an "injury" excuse or something.

I do not know if faking an injury is something Fury is going to do to get out of the fight. With history on the line and millions in their pockets, both boxers really should be fully motivated because this opportunity might never come knocking on their door again. Fury did talk the talk for so long  therefore the onus is on him to ensure he puts on a great performance.

P.S. Imho people are more interested in AJ vs Ngannou and Beterbiev vs Bivol in April.

I think the Joshua vs Ngannou fight is going to be brilliant to watch and will end with Ngannou winning by a clear knockout. After watching what Ngannou did to Fury, I am confident the fight will be on the same lines as when Ruiz defeated Joshua.

[hilariousetc]

I wouldn't listen to unsubstantiated rumours unless they're from a reliable source, but I am starting to question whether this fight is still going to happen and I wouldn't be surprised if Fury comes out with an "injury" excuse or something.

I do not know if faking an injury is something Fury is going to do to get out of the fight. With history on the line and millions in their pockets, both boxers really should be fully motivated because this opportunity might never come knocking on their door again. Fury did talk the talk for so long  therefore the onus is on him to ensure he puts on a great performance.

If he wasn't fit or ready then injury is the usual excuse even if it's just to postpone the fight to give him some extra time to train, but it looks like the promo is going to start now so we'll see. The lack of promo and activity from all parties involved was starting to make people suspicious.

P.S. Imho people are more interested in AJ vs Ngannou and Beterbiev vs Bivol in April.

I think the Joshua vs Ngannou fight is going to be brilliant to watch and will end with Ngannou winning by a clear knockout. After watching what Ngannou did to Fury, I am confident the fight will be on the same lines as when Ruiz defeated Joshua.

An Ngannou KO wouldn't surprise me at all, but I'm going with what I said about the Fury fight: either Francis KO or AJ on points. The press conference for the AJ/Ngannou fight is going live in London in a few minutes. Watch it on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oES2Ke6bi80

[KTChampions]

~ The lack of promo and activity from all parties involved was starting to make people suspicious.

True. Just the other day I was thinking about this: silence, as if this fight had been crossed out from the schedule and everyone had forgotten about it. Thank God we see activity.

An Ngannou KO wouldn't surprise me at all, but I'm going with what I said about the Fury fight: either Francis KO or AJ on points. The press conference for the AJ/Ngannou fight is going live in London in a few minutes. Watch it on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oES2Ke6bi80

Probably bookmakers consider the probability that Ngannou will win by knockout as not the smallest - approximately 25%:

1.15 - 4.12

It’s unlikely that they believe in the possibility that he will win on points, which means these quotes almost 100% reflect the likelihood that he will win by knockout.
For me personally, the odds look uninteresting for both sides.

[darkangel11]

I think the Joshua vs Ngannou fight is going to be brilliant to watch and will end with Ngannou winning by a clear knockout. After watching what Ngannou did to Fury, I am confident the fight will be on the same lines as when Ruiz defeated Joshua.

There's supposed to be a Fury vs Joshua after that one, but that will probably depend on Fury if he loses the belt and feels depressed because of it, or not.
There were some recent opinions based on Fury's own words that he's afraid he's too old and out of shape for the coming fight with Usyk, but that might be just a rumor spread to influence the bets. I think that they'll fight. They were talking about it for years and the event is going to pay good money. If Fury is feeling old and wants to retire it's even better because it's going to be that last cash injection for him.

[TopTort777]

Still no undercard and I suspect the press conference for the AJ/Ngannou fight is going to overshadow everything else, which is supposed to be today but I've not heard anything about it so far which is weird so not sure if it's still happening today or not.

The fight is in one month only, and there is almost no promotion of it. Anyone ever saw a banner somewhere? Checked Fury media - he not a single post of him training. Where it is going to be aired? DAZN ? ESPN ? TNT Sports ? Expect fight not to happen. Everyone will again talk how it is impossible to negotiate with other side due to money.

As linked above Turki Alalshikh posted it on his insta and both Tyson and Usyk shared it to their stories. Not sure why they haven't posted the poster to their main pages yet but I'm sure it's coming. They really do need to ramp up the promo but maybe they've been finalising the undercard to make some big fights to grab headlines. It should be a feast of fights combined with the AJ/Nagannou fight but they're going to be competing for the big names which Eddie has promised for the AJ/Ngannou fight, and if there's going to be any of the fighters from the last AJ fight they'll probably have to skip the Fury/Usyk card as they'll need the extra month for training no doubt. Opetaia is rumoured to be on the Usyk fight which could happen since he took no damage in his last fight: https://www.boxingscene.com/jai-opetaia-land-on-feb-17-fury-usyk-undercard-train-with-fury-ahead-championship-defense--180644

They have shared maximum a poster or two. I just remember and compare it with Fury vs Ngannou fight. Remember how much it was discussed, how much was time and effort was spend on promotion. That Mike Tyson as a coach story, all those pictures of joint training and etc. That great promo fun video. Where is all that with Usyk and Fury? I have no doubts that tickets gonna be sold in minutes, but with their pay checks, PPV numbers have to be great if everyone wants to earn. Imho that will be hard to achieve with one month left.

P.S. Imho people are more interested in AJ vs Ngannou and Beterbiev vs Bivol in April.

I dunno. It's pretty close for excitement but I think the undisputed has to take precedence but they really need to start hyping it up. Personally I think the Fury/Usyk fight could be boring but someone's O has to go so there's jeopardy there. Hopefully there's a bit of spice in the fight rather than just Usyk dodging everything Fury throws at him.

I have also feeling that the fight is going to be boring. Usyk wont be able to knockout Fury, and will work on gaining points. Fury will try to catch and damage him with single or double strikes. For sure the fight will go full distance.

[hilariousetc]

I think the Joshua vs Ngannou fight is going to be brilliant to watch and will end with Ngannou winning by a clear knockout. After watching what Ngannou did to Fury, I am confident the fight will be on the same lines as when Ruiz defeated Joshua.

There's supposed to be a Fury vs Joshua after that one, but that will probably depend on Fury if he loses the belt and feels depressed because of it, or not.

Fury and AJ can still happen even if they both lose. Might make it easier to make if there's no belts on the line and Tyson loses his zero, though there's lots of fights to be made between the four including AJ/Uysk trilogy or the Fury/Ngannou rematch which Ngannou has been vocal he wants next.

They have shared maximum a poster or two. I just remember and compare it with Fury vs Ngannou fight. Remember how much it was discussed, how much was time and effort was spend on promotion. That Mike Tyson as a coach story, all those pictures of joint training and etc. That great promo fun video. Where is all that with Usyk and Fury? I have no doubts that tickets gonna be sold in minutes, but with their pay checks, PPV numbers have to be great if everyone wants to earn. Imho that will be hard to achieve with one month left.

Yeah, they'll surely have to step on the gas now the Ngannou/AJ presser is over. As for tickets it's in Saudi so it wont sell out as most are just given away to Saudis looking to fill up seats. Not many people seem to travel all the way to Saudi for the fights and it's usually 90% Saudis and a load of invited celebs.

P.S. Imho people are more interested in AJ vs Ngannou and Beterbiev vs Bivol in April.

I dunno. It's pretty close for excitement but I think the undisputed has to take precedence but they really need to start hyping it up. Personally I think the Fury/Usyk fight could be boring but someone's O has to go so there's jeopardy there. Hopefully there's a bit of spice in the fight rather than just Usyk dodging everything Fury throws at him.

I have also feeling that the fight is going to be boring. Usyk wont be able to knockout Fury, and will work on gaining points. Fury will try to catch and damage him with single or double strikes. For sure the fight will go full distance.

Usyk probably wouldn't get a spectacular KO but he could wear Fury down like he did to Dubois. I think it's either Usyk on points or Tyson KO. Tyson will probably play dirty with lots of leaning and go for some low blows, especially if Usyk is getting the better of him.

[JollyGood]

An Ngannou KO wouldn't surprise me at all, but I'm going with what I said about the Fury fight: either Francis KO or AJ on points.

If it gets to a points decision it could all come down to a dubious scorecard from at least one judge that could serious alter the outcome of the fight making it opposite to what the masses concluded. The first Fury/Wilder fight resulted in a draw but I along with literally every person I know thought Fury won the fight even though he hit the canvas. How it was scored a draw was (and still is) hard to believe. The same for Fury vs Ngannouu, it seems by far the majority of people commenting on the fight believe Ngannou won.

Regardless of Joshua or Ngannou winning, I hope it does not come down to a points decision.

I think the Joshua vs Ngannou fight is going to be brilliant to watch and will end with Ngannou winning by a clear knockout. After watching what Ngannou did to Fury, I am confident the fight will be on the same lines as when Ruiz defeated Joshua.

There's supposed to be a Fury vs Joshua after that one, but that will probably depend on Fury if he loses the belt and feels depressed because of it, or not.
There were some recent opinions based on Fury's own words that he's afraid he's too old and out of shape for the coming fight with Usyk, but that might be just a rumor spread to influence the bets. I think that they'll fight. They were talking about it for years and the event is going to pay good money. If Fury is feeling old and wants to retire it's even better because it's going to be that last cash injection for him.

With all the mind games played by Fury, it is easy to forget there are other boxers waiting in the wings for a chance. All of a sudden Joshua is back in contention for a world title fight when it looked like he might not get that chance again. There is even talk about him wanting to fight Usyk for the third time.

What cannot be underestimated is the way Parker dismantled Wilder last month and the threat Ruiz poses if he gets back in the ring. Parker not only defeated Wilder he was also the first boxer to beat Ruiz. I think Parker deserves a chance at a championship belt but if Ngannou beats Joshua then the next fight could be between Parker and Ngannou.

[Dave1]

Still no undercard and I suspect the press conference for the AJ/Ngannou fight is going to overshadow everything else, which is supposed to be today but I've not heard anything about it so far which is weird so not sure if it's still happening today or not.

Also on February 17 we have UFC 298 - Volkanovski vs. Topuria, plus bunch of other cool fights. UFC even is going to steal some viewers.

The fight is in one month only, and there is almost no promotion of it. Anyone ever saw a banner somewhere? Checked Fury media - he not a single post of him training. Where it is going to be aired? DAZN ? ESPN ? TNT Sports ? Expect fight not to happen. Everyone will again talk how it is impossible to negotiate with other side due to money.

P.S. Imho people are more interested in AJ vs Ngannou and Beterbiev vs Bivol in April.

Usyk though has posted on his Twitter some kettleball training, I can't remember how heavy is it, but he was just throwing and then catching it. But the poster though, it reminds me if BrokeBack mountain movie, Lol, you can search for the synopsis,  .

I've search for the undercard and this is what I've found:

Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace
Sergey Kovalev vs. Robin Sirwan
Isaac Lowe vs. Hasibullah Ahmadi
Moses Itauma vs. TBA Bakhodir
Jalolov vs. TBA
David Nyika vs. TBA

(https://www.boxingnews24.com/2024/01/fury-usyk-undercard-unveiled-opetaia-vs-briedis-2-on-february-17th-in-saudi-arabia/)

Lame undercard though, seriously Kovalev? And then Cordina?

Is that the best that they can put in this great fight?

[yazher]

One month to go before this fight and there is already lots of hype for this fight because if Fury wins, he will probably get to fight Ngannou and settle their rivalry once more on who is the best heavyweight fighter in their time. But obviously, since Usyk doesn't know how he will gonna truly deal with Fury once they get inside the ring, he still is the underdog in this bout since we all know Fury has more hidden talents once they fight because he has lots of styles on how to get away and take those power punches as if they were nothing because of his unique and yet decisive defensive strategies.

[JollyGood]

Well, I think the hype only started to pick up in the past few days. Before that there was hardly a whisper regarding this fight and it was not being mentioned as much as it should. Regarding who Fury will fight if he wins or who Usyk will fight if he wins, I think beyond Parker and Joshua (and now Ngannou) there are not many heavyweights out there that can either or fill a void.

Even if Usyk is the underdog, he cannot be that far behind because the high standards of Fury have dropped to unbelievably low levels.

One month to go before this fight and there is already lots of hype for this fight because if Fury wins, he will probably get to fight Ngannou and settle their rivalry once more on who is the best heavyweight fighter in their time. But obviously, since Usyk doesn't know how he will gonna truly deal with Fury once they get inside the ring, he still is the underdog in this bout since we all know Fury has more hidden talents once they fight because he has lots of styles on how to get away and take those power punches as if they were nothing because of his unique and yet decisive defensive strategies.

[hilariousetc]

Still no undercard and I suspect the press conference for the AJ/Ngannou fight is going to overshadow everything else, which is supposed to be today but I've not heard anything about it so far which is weird so not sure if it's still happening today or not.

Also on February 17 we have UFC 298 - Volkanovski vs. Topuria, plus bunch of other cool fights. UFC even is going to steal some viewers.

The fight is in one month only, and there is almost no promotion of it. Anyone ever saw a banner somewhere? Checked Fury media - he not a single post of him training. Where it is going to be aired? DAZN ? ESPN ? TNT Sports ? Expect fight not to happen. Everyone will again talk how it is impossible to negotiate with other side due to money.

P.S. Imho people are more interested in AJ vs Ngannou and Beterbiev vs Bivol in April.

Usyk though has posted on his Twitter some kettleball training, I can't remember how heavy is it, but he was just throwing and then catching it. But the poster though, it reminds me if BrokeBack mountain movie, Lol, you can search for the synopsis,  .

I've search for the undercard and this is what I've found:

Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace
Sergey Kovalev vs. Robin Sirwan
Isaac Lowe vs. Hasibullah Ahmadi
Moses Itauma vs. TBA Bakhodir
Jalolov vs. TBA
David Nyika vs. TBA

(https://www.boxingnews24.com/2024/01/fury-usyk-undercard-unveiled-opetaia-vs-briedis-2-on-february-17th-in-saudi-arabia/)

Lame undercard though, seriously Kovalev? And then Cordina?

Is that the best that they can put in this great fight?

But what's the source for that? I don't think it's official as I haven't seen anything from a reputable outlet or the promotors. In an interview earlier today Frank Warren said they can't give any names yet but promises it will be huge (though I'd take that with a pinch of salt but I expect the undercard to be better than the above mentioned).

Well, I think the hype only started to pick up in the past few days. Before that there was hardly a whisper regarding this fight and it was not being mentioned as much as it should. Regarding who Fury will fight if he wins or who Usyk will fight if he wins, I think beyond Parker and Joshua (and now Ngannou) there are not many heavyweights out there that can either or fill a void.

Even if Usyk is the underdog, he cannot be that far behind because the high standards of Fury have dropped to unbelievably low levels.

I still don't think there's been any hype. All we've had so far is a poster and no real comments from anyone involved or an undercard yet. The AJ/Ngannou fight is dominating talks so far and that fights even further away. They need to get the press conference sorted and that's when things will heat up. Fury will be a gobshite as usual wanting to grab headlines.

[electronicash]

think the fight will not actually happen?
i think so too. the date is so close already yet nothing is being hyped online. the fight will be held in Saudi, this is a place where people are giving away gold bars. the richest country in this region, it can't flop this way for it would only mean, they are pretty much interested in Frank Ngannou than Fury and Usyk.

if they want to make this event noisier, my suggestion is to put AJ vs Ngannou on the co-main event.

[coin-investor]

This is an interesting trivia that I just found out now when one fan posted that Usyk and Beterbiev fought during their amateur days and even though Usyk beat Beterbiev it is established in this fight that Usyk has weakness in his body, Dubois scored a knockdown through body shot against Usyk when they fought recently and Beterbiev also did it when they fought in the amateur.
If Fury will include the Beterbiev - Usyk fight in scouting Usyk he'll know that Usyk has a weakness and he can exploit when they fight next month


Heavy (91kg) QF- Berterbiev Artur (RUS) VS Usyk Oleksandr (UKR) -2011 AIBA World Champs

[FinneysTrueVision]

I've search for the undercard and this is what I've found:

Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace
Sergey Kovalev vs. Robin Sirwan
Isaac Lowe vs. Hasibullah Ahmadi
Moses Itauma vs. TBA Bakhodir
Jalolov vs. TBA
David Nyika vs. TBA

(https://www.boxingnews24.com/2024/01/fury-usyk-undercard-unveiled-opetaia-vs-briedis-2-on-february-17th-in-saudi-arabia/)

Lame undercard though, seriously Kovalev? And then Cordina?

Is that the best that they can put in this great fight?

Kovalev is 40 years old and beyond shot. He was already considered washed up when he was cherry-picked by Canelo, and that was many years ago. With all the legal problems he has had it doesn't surprise me that he is now desperate for a paycheck.

I was considering buying the PPV but if it's going to be $80, it kind of feels like a ripoff even if the main event is a historic heavyweight fight.