The undercard for Tyson Fury‘s undisputed title fight with Oleksandr Usyk on May 18 has been officially confirmed.
Fury and Usyk will finally meet in the ring as part of Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
The winner of the highly-anticipated bout will also unify the division for the first time since Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield in March 1999.
However, Fury and Usyk won’t be the only heavyweights on the card – which comes as no surprise considering his Excellency Turki Alalshikh loves the big hitters.
Heavyweight contenders Frank Sanchez and Agit Kabayel have been added to the undercard of the May 18 fight at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia.
→ Swipe to see more articles
The undercard for Tyson Fury ‘s undisputed title fight with Oleksandr Usyk has been confirmed
Heavyweight contenders Frank Sanchez (above) and Agit Kabayel have been added to the undercard of the May 18 fight at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia
Jai Opetaia (right) – who produced a stunning KO victory over Ellis Zorro on the Day of Reckoning card in Saudi Arabia last December – will taken on Mairis Briedis on May 18
Kabayel (24-0, 16 KOs) will feel confident heading into the fight after securing a surprising fourth-round knockout win over previously unbeaten heavyweight contender Arslanbek Makhmudov on the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card last December.
Boxing fans thought Makhmudov would make light work of Kabayel. However, the German-born heavyweight dropped Makhmudov three times after targeting his body.
Meanwhile, Sanchez (24-0, 17 KOs) heads into the off the back of a a seventh-round knockout win over Junior Fa last December. It was a good performance from Sanchez but Fa had lost two of his previous three fights prior.
Jai Opetaia – who produced a stunning KO victory over Ellis Zorro on the Day of Reckoning card in Saudi Arabia last December – will taken on Mairis Briedis on May 18.
Opetaia has already proven himself against Briedis, outpointing the three-time cruiserweight champion over twelve rounds in July 2022, but must do it again if he’s to become world champion for a second time.
The 28-year-old Australian was stripped of his crown when he fought Zorro in December and claims he is eager to get his hands back on the belt.
Meanwhile, Joe Cordina will defend his IBF super-featherweight title in a home nations clash against Ireland’s Anthony Cacace.
The 32-year-old Welshman previously defended his title against Edward Vazquez at the Casino de Monte Carlo Salle Medecin after beating Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov to reclaim his belt.
Meanwhile, Joe Cordina (right) will defend his IBF super-featherweight title in a home nations clash against Ireland’s Anthony Cacace
Moses Itauma will also feature on the undercard after sparring with the Gypsy King
EXCLUSIVE: Moses Itauma on Tyson advice, and AJ comparisons
Eddie Hearn says Cordina – who trains alongside Conor Benn under the watchful eye of Tony Sims – is the ‘best 130lbs fighter on the planet’ and back him to get the job done.
Mark Chamberlain will return to Saudi Arabia to face Joshua Oluwaseun after appearing on the undercard of the heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou in Riyadh.
Chamberlain – who Gavin Gwynne beat Gavin Gwynne on the Knockout Chaos card – is one of Alalshikh’s favourite boxers and was hand picked by his excellency after seeing him in action at York Hall.
Moses Itauma will also feature on the undercard of Fury vs Usyk after sparring with the Gypsy King. The 19-year-old starlet – who has pledged to break Mike Tyson‘s record to become the youngest world champion in history – will face Ilja Mazencev.
New Zealand Olympian David Nyika will face Michael Seitz at cruiserweight and English featherweight Isaac Lowe is matched with Hasibullah Ahmadi.
While Sergey Kovalev – the former long-standing light heavyweight world champion – will go up against the undefeated Robin Sirwan Safar at cruiserweight.
