Following the disappointing postponement of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk earlier this year, as the ‘Gypsy King’ sustained a significant eye injury in sparring, the boxing world is once again gearing up for the Saudi showdown.
The bout, dubbed ‘Ring of Fire’, has been rescheduled to take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 18, and the winner of the blockbuster matchup will be crowned the unified champion of the prestigious heavyweight division.
Ahead of their first fight in February, the Usyk vs Fury odds were clear-cut in the Gypsy King’s favour. However, while Fury is still the slight market leader, the bookmakers have slashed his Ukrainian counterpart and there is very little to separate the pair in the betting.
The fact that this bout is too close for even the bookies to call adds an extra layer of intrigue to the event, with even boxing fans and pundits alike split over who to back as the rearranged fight night rapidly approaches.
One man who will be watching the bout unfold second by second and blow by blow is Anthony Joshua. Affectionately known as ‘AJ’ by his masses of followers, the Briton suffered a huge setback in his career when he was beaten twice in succession by Usyk.
However, he has worked tirelessly to rebuild his reputation as one of the best heavyweights in the world, and he will be desperate to face the winner of the May 18 clash in a bid to become a three-time unified world heavyweight champion.
After those crushing back-to-back defeats to Usyk in 2021 and 2022, respectively, is Joshua ready to take on the winner of Usyk vs Fury? Well, he has certainly regained his confidence thanks to four wins on the bounce in the space of less than a year.
AJ’s redemption mission did not start how he had imagined against Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena last April. Joshua and the thousands packed into the London venue were expecting a statement of intent from the former heavyweight champion.
However, the American boxer proved a much tougher opponent than many had perhaps thought and Joshua cut a frustrated figure in the squared circle as the fight progressed into the latter rounds before having to settle for a victory on points.
The 34-year-old’s path back to the top took another unexpected twist when his rematch with Dillian Whyte was cancelled due to his opponent testing positive for a banned substance. Joshua’s team worked quickly to find a replacement and Robert Helenius was drafted in.
The fight started rather tentatively as Joshua worked out his new opponent, but this time he got the explosive ending he wanted, knocking out his Finish counterpart with a right hook in the seventh round.
Rumours of a massive showdown against former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder were diminished when Joshua vs Otto Wallin was announced to take place in Saudi Arabia on December 23.
Joshua made a big statement outside of the ring in the buildup to the Wallin fight by hiring Fury’s former coach Ben Davidson, and it was a dominant performance from AJ as he forced the Swedish fighter to retire at the end of the fifth round.
Joshua’s most recent outing saw him go toe-to-toe with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in March. The 37-year-old forced Fury to points last October, but he was no match for AJ as Joshua finished the fight early with a second-round knockout.
While Joshua’s recent opponents are not on the same level as Fury or Usyk, AJ is back to his brilliant best and he will be desperate to get in the ring with whoever is crowned the unified champion sooner rather than later. That would be sure to attract plenty of interest in the boxing betting.
