Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk will be a classic unifying boxing match… 6 belts?
The world’s classic heavyweight boxing match to find the first “absolute champion” in 25 years: Tyson Fury vs Usyk will see 6 belts present.
The world classic heavyweight boxing unification match Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk will take place on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It will be the first time in 25 years since Lenox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield that the “absolute champion” of world heavyweight boxing will be determined.
Previously, Lenox Lewis captured three WBA, WBC and IBF belts (along with The Ring title) to become the latest heavyweight “absolute champion”. And this time, in the “4 belt era” of WBA (super), WBC, WBO and IBF, the winner of the Fury vs Usyk fight will also go down in history as “the absolute champion of 4 belts”. Firstly.
However, is the Fury-Usyk match actually only about 4 belts?
In theory, the world’s leading prestigious boxing organizations will only recognize Tyson Fury or Usyk as the “new absolute champion” if they capture the four prestigious belts WBA (super), WBC, WBO and IBF. In fact, the winner of the Fury vs Usyk match will have many other titles.
Specifically, the reward is also the heavyweight belt of the IBO organization. Usyk currently holds this title after defeating Anthony Joshua in September 2021. In addition, the 37-year-old Ukrainian boxer also holds The Ring title.
For his part, Tyson Fury solely owns the WBC heavyweight title. Notably, the WBC designed a completely new belt for this “match of the century”, and the belt was even personally blessed and signed by Pope Francis.
Thus, the two boxers will bring a total of 5 belts to Saudi Arabia. In addition, the host country has also designed a special belt called the “absolute champion belt” to award to the upcoming winner.
So Tyson Fury and Usyk are facing the opportunity to win 6 belts and The Ring title. That is a completely adequate reward for the biggest match in world heavyweight boxing after a quarter of a century.
