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Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will meet at the Kingdom Arena on December 21st in a heavyweight world title rematch. Usyk is the favorite to beat Fury for a second time. We tell you if the bookmakers have called it right when we name our boxing betting picks for the fight.
- Who: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2
- Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- When: Saturday, December 21st, 2024
- Ring Walks: 6 pm onwards ET
Usyk came out on top when he beat Fury at the same venue in May this year. The victory saw him take Fury’s WBC title and unify the division, becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion in a quarter of a century.
Oleksandr Usyk beats Tyson Fury to become the undisputed heavyweight world champion! 🚨👑 pic.twitter.com/EScZhCK1N9
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) May 18, 2024
Usyk has since relinquished the IBF title, opting to fight Fury in a rematch, rather than make a mandatory defense against the organization’s Interim belt holder Daniel Dubois. As a result, Dubois was upgraded to full IBF champion in June, leaving Usyk as the IBO, WBC, and WBO champion.
The first fight was close. Usyk took it on a split decision. Two judges scored the fight in favor of Usyk, (115–112, 114–113), and one in favor of Fury (114-113).
Fury had the better of the opening rounds. He appeared in control of the fight after a dominant 6th round. But that seemed to spur Usyk into life, and the Ukrainian mounted a comeback, nearly knocking Fury out in a dramatic 9th round.
Usyk’s strong finish was enough to see him win the fight.
Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 Betting Odds
Oleksandr Usyk is the favorite to beat Tyson Fury when the two men meet for Usyk’s three belts over 12 rounds.
It is tight. On the money line, the best boxing betting sites have Usyk at -165, with Fury at +135. The spread is 10.5 rounds, over is heavily favored at -210, with under at +170. The bookmakers clearly see the fight going the distance.
In the props markets, Usyk to win by decision is the favorite at +175. The current title holder is also +280 to win by KO/TKO/DQ.
Fury also has shorter odds to win on points than by knockout. To win on points, Fury is +300, and to win by KO/TKO/DQ, he is +375.
A draw in a fight that looked very close the first time around, is +1400.
More Usyk vs. Fury betting options are available on our odds table. The odds are provided by our recommended boxing betting partners, which we use for our boxing picks.
| Usyk vs. Fury |  |  |  |
| Oleksandr Usyk | -165 | -165 | -165 |
| Tyson Fury | +135 | +135 | +135 |
| Over 10.5 Rounds | -210 | -210 | -210 |
| Under 10.5 Rounds | +170 | +170 | +170 |
Oleksandr Usyk: Looking to preserve 100% record
Whatever the outcome of this fight, Oleksandr Usyk’s legacy as one of the greatest technical boxers to ever enter the ring is already secured.
The 37-year-old Southpaw has an unblemished record of 22-0. Eight of Usyk’s 22 wins have come by decision, with 14 coming by KO.
Usyk became world champion in September 2021 when he defeated Anthony Joshua in London for the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles. He successfully defended the titles against Joshua, beating the Englishman in a 2022 rematch in Saudi Arabia.
A further successful defense followed against Daniel Dubois in August 2023, with Usyk following that up with his win over Fury in May this year, seeing him become the undisputed champion.
Tyson Fury: Seeking redemption
Tyson Fury’s defeat to Usyk in the May fight was the first defeat of his career. The 36-year-old – who fights out of an orthodox stance – has a 34-1-1 record.
The only other fighter to prevent Fury from winning was Deontay Wilder in their first fight in December 2018. Most observers believed Fury was the winner, but the judges called it a draw on the scorecards.
Fury put the record straight, not once, but twice. In the rematch fight in February 2020, Fury won by a 7th-round TKO. The fight also saw Fury win the WBC heavyweight title from Wilder.
Wilder came back for another go in October 2021, this time losing to a convincing 11th-round KO. Fury got his redemption win against the American, and he will want to do the same when he fights Usyk.
Best bets for Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2
Tyson Fury had the better of the first six rounds in the first fight, with Oleksandr Usyk controlling the latter rounds, producing a strong finish that caught the eye of the judges.
Fury claims to know where things went wrong in the first fight and says he knows what to do to win the rematch.
So what is Fury’s game plan? It was pretty clear to anybody watching that Usyk looked to have the most in reserve in the championship rounds of the fight. That was where the Ukrainian fighter won the contest.
Has Fury trained to be fitter in the latter rounds, or is he looking to get the job done with an early KO, believing he will probably lose again if the fight goes the scorecards?
Fury may well look for the KO, but catching the fleet-footed Usyk is easier said than done. Chasing the champion around the ring will also lead to inevitable defeat later in the fight if Fury fails to land an early knockout blow.
We don’t see Fury doing this. As the bigger man, we believe Fury will try to use his size advantage to dominate Usyk and wear him down. But we don’t see it working. Usyk is too slippery and hard to catch.
Our betting pick is a win for Usyk. The most likely method of victory will be on points.
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