The dilemma of who is really the best boxer today will be resolved by a match between two great and undefeated heavyweight champions - Tyson Fury i Oleksandr Usik in Riyadh, and the eight-fight boxing program begins at 21 p.m.
The Gypsy King is the owner of the most prestigious WBC belt, while Usik reigns in three other prestigious federations - WBA, WBO and IBF.
The boxing spectacle in the Royal Arena was followed by a perennial overture, even by the Pope Francis blessed the belt of the WBC federation, of which he is the president Mauricio Suleimani enthusiastically exclaimed: "This is an unforgettable moment".
That it is not easy to organize such a big match is shown by the fact that he is British Lennox Lewis the last time he boxed for the absolute heavyweight champion, when he won the American in 1999 Evander Holyfield. However, the period of rule of the Ukrainian brothers followed Klitschko, Vitalij i Vladimir were determined never to box against each other.
And when it was already clear that the match would happen, Fury first postponed the fight scheduled for December 23 due to a knockdown and a punch Francis Nganu, which he won by split decision. The second appointment in February was postponed by the Briton due to a cut during sparring. The organizer then took measures - the penalty for Fury not to enter the ring on May 198 was 10 million dollars.
And the earnings for the boxers are enormous - they will share 103 million dollars, with the British getting as much as 69 million. According to the contract, he is obliged to pay one million to help Ukraine in the war with Russia. However, Fury certainly did not agree to box for that fee, he has been in negotiations with the official Riyadh since September last year and an insider Simon Jordan he even claims that the goal of the Gypsy King is to take the top spot on the Forbes list of the highest paid athletes and that he will receive 115 million dollars for the match, and Usik a little over 60 million. Ukrainians are more interested in titles than in "spoils sharing".
- I'll take the belts home. I will have four belts for my four children. One for each child. My two sons come to the gym in Valencia after training. They give me strength and motivation. Even before I became a father, I imagined that my children would bring me a glass of water, hand me a mouth guard and say, "Hey dad, come on, you can do it," said the 37-year-old Ukrainian, who has won all 21 pro fights. . He previously won everything in Olympic boxing.
He ruled the cruiserweight until moving to the heavyweight division, and after the victory over Anthony Joshua negotiations with Fury lasted for three years. A year and a half younger, Fury has been a professional for 16 years with a record of 30 wins and a draw in his first match with Dontay Wilder. It was against the Bronze Bomber that he fell, and then from a blow from Nganu, but Fury showed that he has an "iron chin".
- Why will I win? Well, I guess because that's how it's always been, victory, then victory, victory, no matter what. The only thing I really know how to do is win, it doesn't matter by stoppage or after a long fight. In the end, I celebrate. It all boils down to who at the end of the evening wanted the victory more, and I'm the one who wants it the most - said Fury, who weighed 118,8 kilograms compared to Usik's 105,7.
When asked to "combine" the ideal boxer, he included himself in the category of fighting spirit, the Ukrainian did not find a characteristic in which he is indisputable in any of the seven categories in which he compiled the ideal boxer. Both boxers, however, had only one common name out of seven names in the column - Floyd Mayweather Jr according to them, he has the best feeling for fighting - boxing intellect.
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