Tyson Fury aims to reclaim his standing and seek retribution whilst competing for three heavyweight titles against the exceptional Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday at Riyadh‘s Kingdom Arena.
Media outlets in Britain indicate a larger prize pool of £150 million ($190 million) for the bout. Usyk is anticipated to receive a higher percentage of the earnings, which differs from the May arrangement where Fury collected 70 percent of the purse.
Betting agencies and independent analysts favour the undefeated Ukrainian.
The contest now involves three belts, as Usyk chose to relinquish his IBF title rather than defend it against mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois, whilst honouring the profitable rematch agreement.
British boxer Fury experienced his first professional loss in May when Usyk secured a split-decision victory, establishing himself as the inaugural undisputed champion in the four-belt period.
Despite the close scoring, a significant moment occurred in the ninth round when Fury relied on the ropes for support and was rescued by the bell following a standing eight count.
Fury, aged 36, maintained an undefeated record of 35 fights before his encounter with Usyk, despite experiencing personal challenges including mental health issues, addiction problems and significant weight fluctuations.
His preparation for this historic unification bout faced significant disruption when a training injury resulted in a three-month delay and limited his sparring sessions.
The ‘Gypsy King’ isolated himself in a Malta training facility for three months, during which he maintained no contact with his wife, Paris, or his children.
At Thursday’s open training session at Riyadh’s Boulevard World theme park, beneath an artificial Sphinx, he declined to participate in the customary media showcase.
The former WBC champion Fury must defeat Usyk this Saturday to arrange a third encounter and address the sole defeat in his professional record.
His confidence stems from previous successful rematches, having secured knockout victories against both Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder in their respective third meetings.
Yet, Usyk presents perhaps his most formidable challenge – an Olympic gold medallist and former undisputed cruiserweight champion who maintains an unblemished professional record of 22-0.
