RIYADH – December 18, 2024 – As we get closer to another historic heavyweight boxing matchup, unified heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) and former unified heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs), conducted open workouts for fans and media today at the Riyadh Season, ahead of their highly anticipated rematch on Saturday, December 21 live worldwide on DAZN PPV (11 a.m. ET) from the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
When interviewed in the ring by DAZN announcer Claudia Trejos, Fury offered few words other than promising “a lot of pain,” “smash and damage” and “hurt, serious hurt,” for his opponent.
When Trejos told Usyk later of his opponent’s promises and no-nonsense behavior, the champion confidently shrugged and offered a simple “okay.”
Speaking with the DAZN studio team after the brief workout, Fury’s trainer, SugarHill Steward, commented on his fighter’s all business attitude. “Tyson Fury is just ready right now, along with myself. He’s always had a silly demeanor, playing around, but always been serious. But this is a different side of him. He’s just ready, 100 percent.”
Reflecting on being in the evening co-main event, surging heavyweight contender Moses Itauma (10-0, 8 KOs) remarked “when you’re in the ring, you don’t really pay attention whether you’re co-main event or three fights before. It’s obviously nice and I am grateful for it, but the main thing is to be in the main event, to be the top man. Obviously, if I beat Demsey McKean, it doesn’t matter if I’m the first fight or the last fight, I still beat him. ‘
Stepping back into the ring for the first time in over a year, Itauma’s opponent Demsey McKean (22-1, 14 KOs) is confident in his preparation. “I feel like I’m coming in in the best condition possible. It’s been a great training camp, I know every fighter says that on fight week but I honestly think it’s been my best one. My body feels great, I’ve been sparring really well. I’ve never been a good sparrer in the past, but in my sparring I’ve been hitting all my strides lately as well, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
In the first of the night’s trio of featured heavyweight fights,undefeated Johnny Fisher (12-0, 11 KOs) told the studio team that “I’m the underdog everytime I get into the ring. And listen, I’ve got to be like that because if you want to be the best you need to have that mentality. You have to prove yourself every single time. And by doing that, you’re doing it in the gym, as well, where you learn as you go. I want to show what I’ve learned as I’ve gone. “
Fisher will take onveteran David Allen (23-6-2), who promised to end his night before the final bell. “This is boxing, and I fully expect to knock [Johnny Fisher] out. I expect to level him completely. I’m good enough to beat him, 100%. My talent beats him, and beats anyone else outside of the top 10. I’ve always believed that. I can box with my eyes shut. This fella is not in my league.”
Immediately following the open workout, six fights emanated live from Riyahd’s Boulevard World, put on by Queensbury Promotions in conjunction with Matchroom Boxing and K2 Promotions.
In international welterweight action, Scotland’s Luke Bibby (8-0, 2 KOs) outclassed Jordan Ellison (15-56-5, 1 KO) of England over six rounds to a decision victory (59-55). 20-year-old Englishman Levi Barnes(7-0, 2 KOs) took Guadalajara’s Ramiro Garcia Lopez (8-17, 7 KOs) the distance, earning a decision victory (40-36) across four rounds.
Riyadh native Abdullah Darkazanly (1-0, 0 KOs) made his professional debut in his hometown, as he faced Costa Rica’s Jose Aguirre (2-9, 0 KOs) over four rounds in an international middleweight contest. Darkazanly didn’t disappoint in his debut and took home the decision victory (40-36).
Super lightweight Aadam Hamed (5-0, 2 KOs), of Dubai, impressed in his bout against Colombian Jesus Gonzalez (3-6, 0 KOs), earning a TKO 26 seconds into round 4.
Rounding out the card featured super welterweight Chris Kongo, (17-2, 7 KOs) of London, clashing with Colombia’s John Mosquera (5-21, 1 KO) in a six-round bout. Kongo displayed a tough performance and cemented his 17th victory in a 60-54 decision.
DAZN subscribers can access the action this weekend via the DAZN app on any device, from smart TVs to smartphones and tablets, with no additional contracts or hidden fees. For more information and to purchase the fight, please visit www.dazn.com.