Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk: What belts are on the line for huge Saudi bout?
TYSON FURY and Oleksandr Usyk will finally end their long and drawn-out saga this evening.
After nearly three years of public back and forths and collapsed bouts, the pair will throw down on Saturday night in a lucrative Saudi showdown.
TYSON FURY VS OLEKSANDR USYK LIVE: ALL THE LATEST FROM HUGE UNDISPUTED WORLD TITLE FIGHT
The duo, 35 and 37 respectively, will collide in a Riyadh rumble that will draw the eyes of the entire sporting world.
And the stakes for their desert dust-up couldn’t be any higher.
The winner of the fight will be crowned the first undisputed ruler of the heavyweight division in nearly 25 years.
The last man to hold all the belts was, of course, British boxing and sporting icon Lennox Lewis.
A number of current-day boxing fans weren’t even alive when Lewis wrote his name into the history books with a unanimous decision victory over Evander Holyfield at Madison Square Garden.
Fury or Usyk will join the likes of Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Rocky Marciano and cement their legacies by claiming all the heavyweight marbles.
But which belts will be on the line when the fists start flying?
Here, SunSport brings you everything you need to know about the historic clash of titans.
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What belts will be on the line in Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk?
The same FIVE belts that Lewis claimed at MSG will be up in the air in the pair’s eagerly-anticipated 12-rounder.
The world-famous IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO and Ring Magazine belts will be on the line when they pair finally trade heavy leather.
But they’ll also be vying for a new belt made specifically for the showdown.
To mark the historic occasion, Saudi boxing kingpin Turki Alalshik has created a brand new “Undisputed” belt.
The black leather title is draped in gold and silver plating and also includes gemstones – as well as the names of previous champions.
It features the logos of the sanctioning bodies, which suggests they’ve all approved its creation.
Will all the belts on the line a rematch?
Five of the six belts on the line will be up for grabs should the loser exercise their contractual right for a rematch.
That’s because the IBF are set to strip the victor in the aftermath of the historic showdown, although it’s unclear when they’ll do so.
They will relieve the winner of their prestigious red belt in order for their mandatory challenger – which is current Filip Hrgovic – to vie for the title.
IBF chiefs have been patient in allowing an undisputed champion to be crowned but won’t allow their mandatory challenger to wait for a potential rematch between Fury and Usyk to play before they finally get their crack at gold.
