TYSON FURY and Oleksandr Usyk are on course for a tense reunion this week – just three months before their eagerly-anticipated rematch.
The duo, 36 and 37 respectively, will renew their rivalry in a second successive Saudi showdown on December 21.
The fan favourites haven’t crossed paths since Usyk emerged victorious from their historic undisputed heavyweight title fight in May.
But they could be set for a premature reunion just hours before Daniel Dubois‘ showdown with Anthony Joshua at Wembley on Saturday night.
The rivals are both slated to appear at a fan event at Boxpark Wembley several hours before Dubois and AJ vie for the iBF heavyweight title at the home of English football.
Both men will take part in meet and greets with fans at what has been billed as the “official pre-fight party.”
Fury’s dreams of becoming the first undisputed king of the heavyweights since fellow Brit Lennox Lewis were shattered thanks to a split decision defeat.
The Gypsy King was nearly knocked out in the ninth round of the classic but somehow managed to hear the final bell.
Defeat to the slick southpaw – who became a two-weight undisputed king in the Riyadh rumble – was the first of Fury’s title-laden professional career.
And the loss has lit a fire under the Wythenshawe warrior, who roared in a June social media video: “[I’m] counting down the days until I can get my redemption on Usyk.
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“December 21 is going to be my time. I’ve done everything in boxing, but I ain’t come back from a loss.
“And I relish it, the chance to redeem myself GET UP. “December 21 is all me – undisputed heavyweight here I come.”
Fury blamed his first-ever loss on having TOO MUCH FUN in the fight, saying: “I thought I boxed his head right off him for most of the rounds.
“He landed a good punch in round eight, that busted my nose. In round nine, he had a 10-8 round, and I gave him round ten.
“Other than that I didn’t give him any other rounds, I gave him rounds eight, nine and ten.
“But round nine is classed as two, so I gave him four rounds of the fight. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be, a lot easier.
“People were saying he is a hard man to hit but I was lighting him up with three-and-four-punch combinations and laughing at him.
“My problem in that fight was that it was probably too easy.
“At times it was too easy, it was like I was in there with a local amateur boxer and I was enjoying it too much and messing around.
“And for that, I paid the ultimate price in round nine when I had too much fun and got clipped.
“I was always told, ‘Never mix your work with having fun.’
“And I always gave my middle finger up to that – but now it has come back to bite me.
“I still enjoyed it, thought, it was all good.”
