Former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is geared to lock horns with former undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk on December 21st at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for their blockbuster rematch. In the meantime, ‘The Gypsy King’ is offering all expenses paid free two VIP tickets to one lucky winner. 

The duo originally squared off against each other back in May earlier this year in what turned out to be one of the most exciting matchups of the year. Despite Fury’s several advantages, the Ukrainian southpaw bested the Englishman via split decision. Since then, their rematch has become one of the affairs most discussed in the sport.

Fury has announced that to grab VIP tickets, you’ll only need to spend $6 or £5—a surprisingly affordable price for an exclusive experience. “I am raffling off two VIP ringside tickets to the fight… Your flights and your hotel are on us… This is an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience for any boxing fan,” Fury said in a clip shared on Instagram earlier today.

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Meanwhile, in the caption of the post, he wrote, “For just £5 entry!” But the question remains, how can you enter this giveaway? Fury provided a link for raffall[dot]com in his post, where fans can pay $6 or £5 to enter the raffle. It’s also worth mentioning that the raffle is ending on Sunday, 8th December at 12:30 or whenever the last ticket for the raffle sells out.

That said, if you’re thinking about placing a bet on the fight, a former world champion has weighed in with their prediction, offering some intriguing insights into how the bout might unfold.

Having suffered his first career loss last May, Fury has promised vengeance upon ‘The Cat’ in December, as he plans to secure a victory this time round. However, former British super bantamweight champion Duke McKenzie remains unconvinced by Fury’s efforts. He went as far as to call Fury’s approach to the rematch flawed, predicting another loss.

“In-between fights are where fights are won and lost. We know Fury blows up, puts on a load of weight, and then has got to get rid of all that weight again,” McKenzie said in a social media interview. He also criticized Fury’s plan to overpower Usyk with size, “Bigger and better isn’t going to beat Usyk. He’ll be slower, more predictable, and get hit more.” 

Declaring the Ukrainian unbeatable, McKenzie added, “Usyk wins the rematch all day long. I can’t see how Tyson Fury beats him.”

It seems Tyson Fury is aiming to cash in on a great opportunity while giving fans a chance to experience his highly anticipated fight against Oleksandr Usyk at a fraction of the usual cost. It’s a win-win: he gets to promote the event, and fans get a shot at an unforgettable experience.

Tyson Fury has named two important changes he can make to beat Oleksandr Usyk in the pair’s rematch.

Fury will look to avenge his first-ever professional boxing defeat when he faces Usyk for the second time in Saudi Arabia this Christmas.

‘The Gypsy King’ missed out on the opportunity to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999 when he lost in his historic meeting with the Ukrainian by split-decision.

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Usyk dropped Fury in the ninth round en route to victory as the latter stumbled all over the ring in both men’s bids to unite all four belts for the first time in 25 years.

“I don’t think I can be any better than what I did,” Fury said, speaking to Sky Sports.

“Because I think it was probably one of the best performances I’ve ever done in my life.

“Although I didn’t get the result, I thought it was a very fantastic performance against one of my best opponents.”

Fury will be the underdog in the pair’s December rematch and it will likely be tough to overturn his defeat against ‘The Cat’.

However, the 36-year-old Manchester native believes he did enough to overcome Usyk in their first bout and even had himself ahead on his own scorecard.

Many boxing fans called for the former two-time champion to make changes, especially to his corner where John Fury–his dad–joined Andy Lee and Sugar Hill Steward.

But Fury doesn’t seem to think there is much room for improvement following the first clash of titans.

“Can I be any better? Can I do any better?” he added.

“I can be more focused, and less clowning and I think that’s enough.

“Maybe if he chucked that punch he hit me 100 times and maybe not done any damage, but you know the one time it did and that’s all she wrote really.”

Fury was asked about his corner’s advice in a face-off with Usyk on TNT Sports, after the pair met in their October press conference.

He admitted that ‘people can have their opinions’ and talk however they like, but quite frankly ‘they’re not in there doing the fighting’.

Fury’s rematch with Usyk will not be for the undisputed titles after the latter was stripped of his IBF belt once he agreed to the fight

The winner of the clash could face Daniel Dubois next after he retained the IBF title in style by knocking out Anthony Joshua at Wembley in September.

Former world champion Billy Joe Saunders is a friend of Fury’s and recently told talkSPORT’s Jim White and Simon Jordan that the heavyweight great has a better game plan in place now.

“Listen, I’ve been keeping a close eye and I’ve been talking to his nutritionist Greg Marriot,” he told talkSPORT’s White & Jordan.

“His weight is looking good and his sparring is going well and he’s looking good.

“I think the game plan they’ve got now for this fight after speaking with Tyson the other day makes a lot more sense.

“It makes a hell of a lot more sense to me, the game plan last time was pickey-pokey and running around.

“It was about showing off in the ring and I think he was enjoying himself a bit too much.

“He let Usyk back in it, but this time I don’t think Usyk will get back in the fight if Tyson is up in the first six rounds this time.

“Definitely not.”

Oleksandr Usyk has the power, the pace and the plan to beat Tyson Fury, says Sky Sports boxing expert and former world champion Johnny Nelson…

You can tell Fury doesn’t like to play second fiddle to anybody. I’m quite sure this is a lot more personal now for Tyson Fury no matter how he tries to look at it, because now he’s come up against a guy that he can’t intimidate. He’s come up against a guy that just doesn’t give him anything.

Fury knows now it’s about all his skills, all his ability, experience and the fight that he’s got left inside him. That’s got to be enough because if it isn’t, it’s quite clear this fight will probably go shorter than the last fight did.

READ: Eddie Hearn offers Anthony Joshua update amid surprise Daniel Dubois news

Now Usyk’s tasted his strength, his speed, his pace once, he has a better measure of him.

Remember what he did with Anthony Joshua. Anthony Joshua tried the same tactics as Fury, tried to outbox him, outsmart him and then in the second fight, even though AJ’s performance was great, Usyk’s performance was better. It was more calculated and it will be the same here.

Now he has the measure of the man in Tyson Fury, he knows that Tyson Fury is probably going to try and jump on him. Use his strength, use his size, use his physicality, which is what he should have done in the first place and that’s what he needs to do now.

Tyson needs to make sure that, combined with his boxing ability, puts the pressure on him from the off. Because the longer the fight goes, there’s more chance of him not being able to maintain that constant pressure, that physical pace on Usyk. Whereas Usyk, what he said in the first fight was: I’m not going to leave you alone. I’ll make you work for your supper and that’s what he did.

Tyson Fury, 36, will need a flawless strategy from his trainer, SugarHill Steward, to secure a victory.

However, SugarHill appeared lost in the corner, with the rest of Fury’s team offering no solutions. Given the ineffective support Fury had in his corner, his chances in the rematch seem bleak. As the saying goes, “garbage in, garbage out.”

Tyson Fury posted on his Instagram page saying that the three heavyweight titles Oleksandr Usyk holds will be “mine again” four weeks from now when they meet for their rematch on December 21st.

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“My rematches only end in one way,” posted Tyson Fury on his Instagram page.

Usyk exuded the cold, lethal presence of a hitman during the Usyk-Fury 2 face-off. His intense stare seemed to pierce through Fury, conveying the sense that Usyk has already figured him out.

Their upcoming fight on December 21st will pick up where their previous encounter left off, particularly echoing the infamous round nine from May 18th, when the referee intervened, pushing Usyk aside just as he was about to finish off a severely hurt Fury, who looked like a punching bag.

Rematches against Deontay Wilder, Dereck Chisora and John McDermott aren’t exactly murderer’s row types of competition, and those fights occurred many years ago when Fury was a lot younger than he is now. He appears to be in his mid-40s, and he’s going up against a much better fighter in Usyk than the three fighters he fought in rematches.

Tyson Fury claimed this week that he’s going to box Usyk this time and show the ability that he didn’t display in their previous fight. It looked like Fury was trying to box last May, but Usyk was too skilled and was able to hit him.

Again, we all saw how the referee saved Fury in the ninth round when he was out on his feet, taking nonstop punches and helpless to defend himself. The referee gave Fury a standing eight count, but most fans saw that as a case of the referee saving the popular fighter. There will be a different referee this time to save Fury’s hide.

“Four weeks to go for the biggest fight of the year, the biggest fight in boxing, me and Usyk. I’m coming in hot. I can’t wait. 21st of December, the belts are going to be mine again,” said Tyson Fury on Instagram.

“Four weeks to go,” Tyson Fury states on a recent video, “til the biggest fight of the year, the biggest fight in boxing, me and Usyk and I’m coming in hot.”

Looking directly at the camera, Fury emphasizes the fact that he will be well prepared for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk on December 21st in Saudi Arabia. “I’m coming in HOT,” he yells. “Can’t wait. Twenty first of December, the belts are going to be mine again.” Judging by the brief clip, Fury isn’t lacking in confidence as the days count down to his second go round with chess master Usyk.

Of course Fury lost the first battle between the two men. It was a close fight, however, a very close fight. Still, the fact that Usyk hurt and nearly dropped the bigger Fury may have made all the difference on the judge’s cards. What makes the rematch particularly interesting is the fact it’s worth wondering which Fury will show up in the ring in December. While it’s true Fury has never had a poor performance, his defeat at the gloved hands of Usyk marked his first loss as a professional. Yet Fury is a man of numerous strategies.

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For instance, the first fight of the classic trilogy between Fury and Deontay Wilder ended in a draw. Fury changed his style for the second and third fights and ended up besting Wilder soundly on both occasions. One has to wonder whether or not Fury and trainer Sugar Hill Steward are employing a more aggressive strategy for the second match with Usyk. Not that Usyk won’t be prepared for anything Fury sends his way. Will he be prepared enough, though? Fury is a hard man to read, one who is often two steps ahead of his opponent in the ring.

Usyk, however, is one of the most skilled heavyweights to ever slip inside a ring. His footwork is second to none, his punch accuracy can be dead on, and – yes – he has enough power to rock his opponents. Just ask Fury. While he isn’t as physically big as opponents like Fury and Anthony Joshua, Usyk has bested both fighters, a very impressive feat for a man whose moved up to heavyweight from cruiserweight. Usyk is perhaps the man to prick the balloon of the super sized heavyweight era. Perhaps. He still has a very formidable opponent in Fury ahead of him. And it’s hard to tell whose going to win this rematch.

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury had their roundtable discussion ahead of their December 21 rematch. 

Usyk beat Fury in the first fight to become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. The scorecards had it as a split decision: 115-112, 113-114, 114-113. But in truth, Usyk had done more than enough to secure a unanimous decision win. He was the better fighter from the start and finished stronger, while Fury found success in the middle rounds. Tyson struggled to accept the loss, saying Usyk got the win due to Russia’s war with Ukraine.

Even after having rewatched the fight, he felt he had done enough to get the decision. Since then, he has changed that view, saying Usyk was the better man. The pair rewatched the fight during their sit-down as they commented on various aspects. The two fighters showed respect to each other, with Fury departing from his vocal style, a sign perhaps that he was humbled in defeat. Another defeat to Usyk will increase the calls on him to retire, while the Ukrainian knows a win solidifies his position as the best heavyweight of this era. Here are the key comments during their interaction.

READ: Mike Tyson loses heavyweight record just days after breaking it

Fury: “This round he was hurt [round six]. Watch these two big right uppercuts. You can’t tell me this never hurt him.”

Usyk: “yeah, of course, a good body shot. [But] I expected it. [No] I didn’t hurt me.”

Fury: “I don’t think when I’m in the fight. I just take it one round at a time. You know, we were both boxing really good. And sometimes you have success, and then sometimes you don’t. You know, nothing to worry about.”

Fury: “I’m a big believer in God. So I believe that God has a plan for everybody, and the plan was for Usyk to win this fight. And he did, so fair play.”

Fury: “Yeah, listen, people can have opinions. But at the end of the day, they’re not in there fighting. So it’s really not important what other people think of what was going on in my corner. If I’m happy, then the world’s happy, you know, and I’m happy.”

Fury: “It’s the World Heavyweight title fight, undisputed [so the fight should not have been stopped]. At least a man’s gotta go down to the floor and someone like me, who has been down loads of times, who gets back up, at least give me one chance.”

Usyk: :I don’t think about it [the stoppage]. [These are] big ifs.”

Fury: “He made a very valid point. I recover quite quickly. It’s a testament to my fitness and stamina, where I’ll be able to recover quick.”

Fury: “I knew it was a close fight. I thought I’d done enough, but listen, I don’t complain. He’s got the victory. I was happy for him. I congratulated him. [And] I was happy that we both went home to our family safe. My dad always said to me, if you lose a fight, son, shake the man’s hand.”

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Tyson Fury’s coach, Andy Lee, said that his fighter was not able to spar in the build-up to the Oleksandr Usyk fight.

Fury suffered a split decision loss as Usyk became the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. It was the first time that Fury had been defeated. Coming into the fight, the Gypsy King reassured everyone that his preparation was on point. He was also praised for his physique, with Fury coming in leaner than he usually would. However, the original fight date was rescheduled after Fury suffered a cut over his right eye in sparring.

This meant that the original day in February was moved to May. The cut reportedly would take around three months or more to heal fully, leaving questions about whether Fury would have been ready for the fight. However, the cut ended up healing. While it did not become a factor in the bout, Fury was ultimately dominated. Usyk was the better fighter in the earlier rounds, finishing strongly at the back end.

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Fury’s main success came in the middle rounds, but the Ukrainian almost knocked him out in the ninth round, only for the referee to impose a standing eight count. However, Lee has now confirmed that Fury’s preparation was disrupted since he was not able to spar for fear of the cut reopening. If that is the case, then Lee will fancy his fighter to do much better in the rematch. They will square off on December 21. It will not be for undisputed after Usyk vacated his IBF belt. Daniel Dubois took that belt, knocking Anthony Joshuaout to retain it. Lee expects to see a different Tyson Fury coming into the rematch.

“Fights are won and lost in the training and preparation. Because of the rearranged and rescheduled fight due to a cut, Tyson couldn’t spar in the camp. The conditioning, sharpness and your ability to concentrate to stay ready and to sustain attacks. When Tyson would have success in the fight, he would have to back away and look to rest to build up his energy again before mounting his next attack. In the meantime, it encouraged Usyk to come forward and gave him the emphasis to go forward to take it now because ‘I’m taking a break.’ It’ll be different because he’ll be able to spar,” Lee said 

Nevertheless, it is important to consider the following points. Those comments could simply be used to move attention away from how Fury faded in the fight. He had talked up a big game, stating that he would retire if he came out second best. He also repeatedly referred to the Ukrainian as a blown-up cruiserweight and a rabbit, talking down his opponent’s skills. Fury also had a 40-pound advantage and a seven-inch reach advantage. But the Ukrainian was able to negate those disadvantages and dominate his man.

Even if Fury spars and fights on the front foot, there is a danger that he will play into Usyk’s hands. Usyk is a master counterpuncher, known for picking his opponents off. If Fury continues to come forward, he risks giving Usyk a much bigger target to hit. Usyk had also shown that he could hold his own in his clinches. This is pivotal if Fury tries to lean on Usyk, much like he did against Deontay Wilder in their second fight. But if Fury’s preparation is on point, he will back himself to come out victorious. But the question is whether Fury can back up his words come fight night.

Tyson Fury warned Oleksandr Usyk that he made a mistake by not knocking him out, stating that he would become a three-time heavyweight champion. 

Usyk defeated Fury to become the first Undisputed Heavyweight Champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999. He dominated the first part of the fight while also finishing strongly at the back end. Fury’s best parts were in the middle rounds when he pushed Usyk on the back foot.

The turning point in the fight came in the ninth round. Usyk landed a big left hand, followed by numerous combinations which buckled Fury. The Gypsy King was bouncing off the ropes as Usyk had him backed up in the corner. Just when the Ukrainian was going to go for the knockout, the referee imposed a standing eight count.

READ: [WATCH] ‘I’ll Get It Like Wilder 2’ – Fury Says He Will KO Usyk

It was very controversial since it prevented Usyk from finishing the fight. There was also an argument that Fury had not walked forward quickly enough, following the count, with suggestions that the fight should have been stopped. In his post-fight comments, Fury refused to accept defeat, stating that Usyk had been given the decision due to Russia’s war with Ukraine.

The Gypsy King also called Usyk an amateur boxer after having rewatched the fight, doubling down on his belief that he had won. Fury’s brother, Shane Fury, later admitted that Usyk had won the fight. Fury’s behavior has shown that he is struggling to accept the defeat.

He was thrown out of a nightclub in Morecambe, in his hometown, after appearing drunk. While he would later post a video showing himself back in the gym, there is doubt whether Fury can mentally overcome this. But his following comments show that he is ready to give it his all, as he had eyes on avenging the loss.

“You had your shot but couldn’t finish the job! Mistake. Now you’re about to feel the wrath of a menace. Gypsy King 2024 is coming for you. December 21 is mine. Me against the world. incoming 3x heavyweight champ,” Fury said

Nevertheless, Usyk does not appear fazed. During the build-up for the first fight, the Ukrainian showed that he would not let Fury get in his head. Fury had repeatedly called him a blown-up middleweight and a rabbit. The Gypsy King even went as far as to state that he would retire from the sport if he came up short. Usyk warned Fury that he would not leave him alone, which later showed in the fight.

He pressed the action from the off, pushing the Gypsy King on the back foot, targeting the head and midsection. Fury could not keep up with the pace. While it is true that Fury slowed down, a large proportion of that was due to the pressure Usyk was exerting.

The Gypsy king will have to change his tactics, something which he did against Deontay Wilder in the second fight. Fury boxed on the front foot and eventually got the American out before the distance. But in doing so, Fury will leave himself open as Usyk is known for being an expert counterpuncher. That has left the fight in a very intriguing place.

Tyson Fury with a fresh message for Oleksandr Usyk today… pic.twitter.com/qU2iEGzxve

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) October 3, 2024