With less than a fortnight until the much-anticipated rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, there has been a significant alteration to the undercard.
‘The Gypsy King’ is eager for retribution after Usyk dealt him his first professional defeat in May. In a closely contested match, the Ukrainian emerged victorious on points, becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999. The pair will face off once more on December 21.
The upcoming event features the comeback of rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma as he takes on the most challenging opponent of his career, Demsey McKean – who suffered his only loss to Filip Hrgovic. Also on the undercard, undefeated sensation Johnny Fisher returns to the ring against Dave Allen, while Dennis McCann battles Peter McGrail for the former’s European super bantamweight title.
With such a line-up of big names, there has been a minor adjustment to the event with less than two weeks until fight night. The co-main event was initially set to feature Israil Madrimov of Uzbekistan facing off against Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk. However, Madrimov was forced to pull out of the bout due to illness. Turki Alalshikh announced on X (formerly Twitter) that British boxer Ishmael Davis would step in to face Bohachuk, while Madrimov would focus on recovering for his upcoming fight against Vergil Ortiz Jr. in February.
Alalshikh stated, “It was confirmed by doctors this evening that Israil Madrimov is suffering from acute bronchitis and has to withdraw from the Dec 21 fight with Bohachuk,” adding that British fighter Ishmael Davis would replace Madrimov, who would rest and recover for his scheduled fight on February 22 against Vergil Ortiz Jr. Madrimov, with a record of 10-1-1, was seeking to rebound from his first professional loss to Terence Crawford in August. Crawford dominated the fight, showcasing his status as one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighters. Bohachuk, 29, also aimed to return to winning form after his second career loss to Ortiz Jr.
Meanwhile, Fury has confidently dismissed the need for any significant alterations to his strategy, despite the close nature of his previous bout. “It’s actually been about four and half years – the Deontay Wilder II fight – since I was the underdog in a fight. I’m looking forward to a fantastic fight. Oleksandr won the first fight fair and square,” he declared. “It was very close last time.
“I’ll be a bit more focussed, a lack of complacency and I should do the job. Nothing drastic has to change. A bit more of the same, a bit more focused, and I will be victorious. “Last time it wasn’t my time to win or God would have given me victory. I’m very happy Usyk got the decision. That was meant to be, and we’re going to find out what is meant to be on December 21.”
