It’s the rematch we’ve all been waiting for. On Saturday, Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury will go toe-to-toe with Oleksander “The Hitman” Usyk for the second time this year. Their first match was the biggest heavyweight battle of the 21st century—and it did not disappoint. Ultimately, Usyk completed the upset—just as he did against Anthony Joshua in his career-defining victory.
With a damaged ego, Fury demanded a rematch against the cool and controlled Ukrainian boxer. Both will no doubt return to the ring better prepared for match No. 2.
In this boxing preview, we cover both boxers’ careers to date; their biggest wins, controversies, the first fight against each other, career earnings to date, and the best bets available in our sportsbook. With a solid understanding of who these men are, where they’ve come from, and how their first match went, you’ll be well equipped to place some shrewd bets before the bell rings on Saturday. The boxing odds are up and buzzing in the sportsbook.
Careers to Date
Fury came into this matchup as the more established boxer. His career started back in 2008 with a soft debut victory against the struggling Bela Gyongyosi. After 27 straight wins, Fury got a shot at the Lineal Heavyweight title in his matchup against Wladimir Klitschko, who he dispatched as a +350 underdog.
After a couple of non-title bouts, Fury got in the ring with unbeaten champion Deontay Wilder for the WBC World Heavyweight title. Fury was knocked down twice during the match, but earned the first split-decision draw of his career. This was Part I of what became a trilogy between the two heavyweight juggernauts.
Meanwhile, Usyk was blazing his own path to heavyweight glory. The Ukrainian boxer won gold at the London Olympics in 2012 before joining the pro circuit. Usyk had instant success in the cruiserweight division. By 2013, he had his first belt (WBO) and five years later, he unified multiple titles. Ready for a new challenge, Usyk made the change from cruiserweight to heavyweight in 2019.
It didn’t take him long to grab a bunch of heavyweight titles. He took four off Anthony Joshua in London in September 2021 and beat him again the following summer.
Biggest Wins
Fury’s trilogy fights against Wilder were big. Both men started boxing professionally in 2008 and both were undefeated. Fury had racked up 27 victories, including 19 KOs, while Wilder, the slight favourite, had 40 (39 KO). Wilder was coming in as the WBC Heavyweight champion, and Fury had the Lineal Heavyweight Champion title that he took off Klitschko.
Both men traded blows throughout the match. Despite having to escape the referee’s count twice, Fury was the more accurate boxer, but it wasn’t quite enough for a win, as they settled for a split draw. The rematch wasn’t nearly as evenly-contested; Fury dominated for seven rounds until Wilder’s side gave in. In the final leg of their trilogy, Fury repeated the victorious outcome.
Usyk’s biggest fights—not including his fight against Fury—were the back-to-back victories against Anthony Joshua. Joshua was on top of the boxing world until he gave up his titles to Andy Ruiz in 2019. Usyk was coming off of a unanimous decision win against Derek Chisora for the WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title and was seen as a mandatory obstacle that Joshua had to get by for the Fight of the Century to happen: Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury.
Unfortunately for Joshua, that’s not how things panned out. Usyk put forth an exceptional tactical performance, dominating the Brit en route to a unanimous decision win. Both fighters came back for a rematch and Usyk repeated as the winner, this time by split decision. In the ring, Usyk declared that he wanted to fight Tyson Fury, or he might retire. He had one mandatory challenger to dispose of before he’d get to the Gypsy King.
Controversies
Fury is no stranger to controversy. The outspoken Brit, whose parents were Irish Travellers, has clashed with many different groups of people because of his disparaging remarks about women, homosexuality and religion. His Twitter arguments have run the gamut from homophobic rants to antisemitic statements, and although he does apologize to the public for these ramblings, he also carries on. Fury has claimed that he created this arrogant and cocky character when he started boxing as he felt compelled to draw attention in his earlier years. Eventually, he absorbed the character.
To get a behind-the-door look at Fury, Netflix released At Home With the Furys. The funny series showcases Fury’s retirement attempts and how he navigates his family with wife, Paris and their six children.
A much more reserved boxer, Usyk’s only controversies are with his complex Russian-Ukrainian origins. As a boxer, he identifies as Ukrainian, waving the flag at victories, but much of his training happens in Crimea, the annexed peninsula. Usyk typically dodges controversial questions about Crimea, and has rubbed people the wrong way by referring to Ukrainians and Russians as “one people.”
Usyk vs Fury I
When Usyk and Fury faced off in Saudi Arabia on May 18, 2024, it was huge. The two best heavyweights in the sport going toe-to-toe for the undisputed title was the biggest boxing matchup of the 21st century. Both were technical fighters with very different fanbases.
Usyk had more heavyweight titles pre-fight, but he had to beat Fury to become the undisputed champion. He was a small underdog and available for even money in the days leading up to the event. Fury was the slight favourite at —115 on the moneyline.
When the bell rang, Usyk came out strong and forced his 6-foot-9 opponent into the corner. Usyk carried on with an aggressive attack, but come the third round, Fury came alive. The “Gypsy King” dominated the third, fourth, fifth and sixth rounds and started to become cocky. He began to taunt Usyk and became complacent with his lead.
Fury clearly didn’t expect the momentum to shift again. He eventually tired and became a punching bag for Usyk. The Ukrainian delivered a major left hand that directly connected with Fury. Shaken up, Fury fell back to the corner and the bell rang. Although Fury recovered and came back the next round, Usyk didn’t let up until the final bell. Usyk won by split decision.
Career Earnings to Date
Through 12 years as a pro, Usyk has amassed millions. The biggest paycheque, somewhere between $45 and $50 million, came from his fight against Fury. The second-biggest paycheque was his rematch with Joshua, which allegedly got him around $42 million. The first matchup with Joshua was a bit less: close to $6 million.
With a much longer boxing career, Fury has earned millions from his fights alone, not including his earnings from endorsements, like WOW Hydrate and Fashion Nova and side projects like his Netflix series. Fury started to make top dollar when he reached Klitschko, earning £5 million in 2015.
His series against Wilder turned him into one of the highest paid boxers in the world. While the exact amounts are not disclosed, estimates report £7 million for the first fight, £20 million for the second, and £27 million for the third.
Bodog’s Best Boxing Bets
In the days leading up to the re-match, Usyk is the —145 favourite over Fury (+120) on the standard boxing line. You can bet on how it will go down with the Method of Victory bet. Usyk by Decision or Technical Decision is the reigning +150 favourite; Usyk by KO, TKO, or DQ is the second-favourite at +285. The Ukrainian did go on record saying “if I have an opportunity to knock out Tyson Fury in the rematch, I will take it.”
Fury by KO, TKO or DQ is +400, and if you think “The Gypsy King” will win by Decision or Technical Decision, the odds are +325 at press time. Always an unpopular option, Draw or Technical Draw has mega +1400 odds.
With heavyweights like these, one of the big questions is Will the Fight Go the Distance? They did the first time, making “Yes” the popular pick at —155 and “No” an underdog at +120.
Knockdown props are also open for business. Bet on Usyk to register a knockdown at +125 (No is —165). Fury’s knockdown prop is also on the board with “Yes” paying big bucks at +185, and “No” checking in at —250. If you think both of them will tally a knockdown, you can double down and get a big payout at +550. To see all of the bets for Usyk-Fury, select the Usyk-Fury boxing line in the Boxing section, and it will pull up the associated fight props, round props and knockdown props for the full suite of betting options. May the better man win on Saturday.