Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have a reported date for their fight to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion in over two decades.
The last man to do it was Lennox Lewis against – like Usyk – a previously undisputed cruiserweight champion in Evander Holyfield.
Fury has held the WBC belt since 2020 after a win over Deontay Wilder and has defended three times in the time since.
Usyk, following his success at 200lbs, beat Anthony Joshua for the IBF, WBA and WBO in just his third heavyweight fight. He has put those three belts on the line twice – once in a rematch with ‘AJ’ and a mandatory defence against Daniel Dubois.
That fight took place following a collapse in talks with Fury at the beginning of this year, but the teams recommenced those negotiations later and announced contracts as signed in September.
A target date of December 23 was pushed back when Fury was knocked down and taken the distance by MMA star and boxing debutant Francis Ngannou in October.
Now, ESPN’sMike Coppinger reports that the date is February 17, with an official confirmation expected this week.
The Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship will take place on Feb. 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, sources told ESPN. Fight was originally planned for Dec. 23 before Fury’s far tougher-than-expected battle with Francis Ngannou.
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) November 14, 2023
The fight will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and will mark the closing days of Riyadh Season – the annual entertainment and sports festival that Fury and Ngannou opened.
Broadcast and undercard details are expected to follow.