Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will finally meet to contest the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world in Saudi Arabia on May 18th. The bookies are split on who will win. Some are just favoring Usyk, while others are unable to name a favorite. The one thing we do know is that this will be a boxing spectacular. Read on to find out the best bets to place on the fight in our latest boxing betting picks.
- What: Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship
- Who: Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk
- Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- When: Saturday, May 18th, 2024
- Ring Walks: 6 p.m ET
This is the fight we’ve all been waiting for. The heavyweight division has not seen a unified champion since Lennox Lewis reigned from November 1999 to April 2000. But that’s about to change when Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk meet in Riyadh.
The fight sees Fury put his WBC belt on the line. Usyk will put his WBA, WBO, and IBF belts up for grabs. The winner will take all and be known as the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World.
Also fighting on the undercard are Joe Cordina and Anthony Cacace. You can read our thoughts on their showdown in our Cordina vs Cacace betting picks.
The big picture
When this fight was first priced up many moons ago, Tyson Fury was the odds-on favorite to win.
Since then, a lot has happened.
The fight was originally scheduled for February 17th, but Tyson Fury had to pull out after sustaining a freak cut in sparring.
Here is the picture released by @Queensberry pic.twitter.com/m2hauzhrz1
— Gareth A Davies (@GarethADaviesDT) February 2, 2024
Furthermore, Fury’s unconvincing win over Francis Ngannou in October 2023 has put doubts in the minds of bookmakers and punters alike. Fury was a shadow of his old self, leading many to question if he was past his best or had just taken his eye off the ball.
Since the Ngannou fight, more doubts surrounding Fury have been raised about his training camp for this fight.
Usyk is a 24/7 professional. He lives and breathes boxing, looking after his body and fitness without exception. Fury likes to enjoy himself. He lets go between fights and enjoys the lavish comforts of life.
As a result, the Brit has to work hard to get himself back into shape before a fight. And at 35 years old, there have to be doubts about how often he can do this at the elite level.
Despite being two years senior, Usyk is without doubt the fitter man who has looked after his body over the past few years.
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk Betting
The bookmakers are finding it difficult to name a favorite for this fight.
Tyson Fury is the outsider with a lot of the American bookies. But on the other side of the pond, the UK bookies are favoring the Brit.
BetUS and BetOnline have Fury at -105 on the money line, with Oleksandr Usyk the favorite at -125. Bovada is more evenly split. The odds are likely to flip one way and then the other in the build-up to the fight.
On the totals line, over 10.5 is -280, and under 10.5 is +225. More boxing betting odds are available on our odds table. For our prices, we have only used the best betting sites for wagering on boxing.
| Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyson Fury | -115 | -105 | -105 |
| Oleksandr Usyk | -115 | -125 | -125 |
| Over 10.5 Rounds | -280 | -280 | -300 |
| Under 10.5 Rounds | +220 | +220 | +225 |
Tyson Fury Career Breakdown
Tyson Fury has a professional boxing record of 34-0-1. Out of his 34 wins, 24 are by KO and ten by decision.
The draw was against Deontay Wilder. Since the Wilder trilogy, Fury has completed routine TKO wins over Dillian Whyte in April 2022 and Derek Chisora in December 2022.
His most recent fight was the unconvincing win over Francis Ngannou in October 20223.
Oleksandr Usyk Career Breakdown
Oleksandr Usyk has an unblemished fight record of 21-0, with 14 of his wins coming by KO and seven by decision.
Since his back-to-back wins over Anthony Joshua in September 2021 and August 2022, Usyk has only been in the ring once. That ended with the Ukrainian defeating Daniel Dubois with a ninth-round knockout in August 2023.
Ukrainian Warrior 🔥
Oleksandr Usyk beats Daniel Dubois by TKO in Poland#AndStill WBA Heavyweight Super Champion @usykaa #Boxing #Boxeo #WBABoxing #WBA #UsykDubois pic.twitter.com/o0b1esIcUI
— WBA Boxing (@WBABoxing) August 26, 2023
But the fight wasn’t without controversy, as Dubois put the champion on the canvas in the fifth round with a blow deemed low by the referee. Ultimately, it proved irrelevant as Usyk went on to win the fight. The champion was comfortably the better fighter throughout.
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk Picks and Predictions
The fight looks set to be a technical contest, with both men using their quick feet and slick movement to make themselves hard to hit.
Usyk probably has the edge technically. But Fury has the size advantage. The gap in technical ability isn’t as big as the gap in size, and we feel that if Fury is on his game, he should edge the fight.
A lot will depend on Fury’s condition, though. The trouble is that even though Fury looks in good condition, we still don’t know how his body will cope if the fight goes deep. It’s these issues that have caused the betting to flip in favor of Usyk.
Nevertheless, we are sticking with Tyson Fury for our betting pick. The old saying in boxing is that a good big man always beats a good little man. It’s not scientifically correct, but we are standing by it for this fight. We see Fury winning, probably on points.
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