Boxing Day is being held early this year with fight fans gearing up for Tyson v Usyk II at the weekend and praying Liam Gallagher doesn’t deliver another knockout blow to his reputation by wreaking havoc to old Oasis tunes before the main event.
The initial showdown in May, to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis nearly 25 years ago, was a barnstorming affair which lived up to the hype and Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk lifted the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF belts by winning a split decision which was controversial in Tyson Fury’s view but not to anyone who watched him hit the canvas in the ninth round as he was outboxed in the later rounds of an absorbing fight.
This time the IBF belt is not up for grabs as Usyk had to relinquish it so this Christmas cracker could go ahead and the belt was won by Daniel Dubois when he dismantled Anthony Joshua.
The May defeat was Fury’s first as a professional in a sensational career which had previously seen him beat Deontay Wilder, Wladimir Klitschko and Dillian Whyte on his way to 34 wins and a draw.
Usyk, six inches smaller than Fury at 6ft 3in and one year older at 37, also cleaned up the cruiserweight division on his way to a still unbeaten record of 22 blistering bouts in which Dubois, Joshua and Tony Bellew count among his prestigious scalps.
Unless Fury wins, let’s hope the next battle on Usyk’s agenda is another reunification fight with Dynamite Dan so the heavyweight boxing scene can move forward but that’s probably wishful thinking.
Fury can win if he uses his superior height and reach advantage to the best of his undoubted abilities, constantly unloading ramrod jabs to keep his opponent at bay and he is likely to have prepared for this by training at 100 per cent efficiency as his pride will have been severely dented by the only blot on his record.
But Usyk has a boxing brain superior to anyone else in his division and is 4/5 with William Hill and BoyleSports to triumph once again, although this time victory could be more emphatic.
More Trending
He has already proved he possesses the power to send Fury to the canvas and can reproduce the 14 unanswered blows which sent Tyson careering round the Riyadh ring and off all four ropes earlier in the year to gain a knockout victory which packs a huge punch at 14/5 with BetMGM and others.
• Luke Humphries started the defence of his World Darts Championship crown by winning all nine legs as he breezed to 3-0 victory against France’s Thibault Tricole. Humphries is 10/3 with Ladbrokes and Coral to successfully defend his title and 4/5 with StarSports to reach the semi-finals by winning his quarter of the draw.
• Queen of the Palace Fallon Sherrock steps up to the oche on Tuesday night when she faces Ryan Meikle, aka The Barber, from Ipswich with a second-round date with Luke Littler the prize for the winner. If you still believe in Father Christmas, a Sherrock victory is 14/5 with Ladbrokes and Coral but the more likely outcome is a 3-1 victory for world No.62 Meikle which is 5/2 with StarSports and BetGoodwin.
This weekend’s heavyweight world title fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury is available to purchase on DAZN
MORE: Lennox Lewis reveals if Mike Tyson comeback will tempt him out of retirement
MORE: Why Tyson Fury won’t make any changes and stick with dad John for Oleksandr Usyk rematch
MORE: Tyson Fury confirms next fight after Oleksandr Usyk in blow to Anthony Joshua
