Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2: A Head-to-Toe Breakdown

The first fight was so nice. Let's do it twice.

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury dueled across 12 compelling rounds last spring in Saudi Arabia and the demand for a second go-round was significant enough that the sport's money-sopped powerbrokers decided to do it again before the calendar turned to 2025.

So, the one-time rivals will become second-time foes when they return to the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Saturday for a main event set to go off shortly after 5 p.m. Eastern time.

Usyk dropped Fury in the ninth round and won a split decision after a tumultuous first fight, and he approaches the return bout as a -150 favorite this time, according to DraftKings.

The second get-together has the B/R combat team ready to compile a head-to-toe breakdown in which each man's boxing ability, defense and punching power are considered, along with X-factors.

Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the app comments.

What: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury II

Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

When: Saturday, 11 a.m. ET (undercard); 5 p.m. ET (main event)

TV: DAZN (pay-per-view)

What's at Stake: It's the most wonderful time of the year.

For those who anticipate the arrival of a bearded man in a red suit? Sure. But just as much for those who continue to identify as big-time boxing fans.

Because it doesn't get a lot bigger than this.

Neither Usyk nor Fury will be labeled a four-belt champion after Saturday's fight thanks to the silliness of the IBF, which elevated Daniel Dubois—KO'd by Usyk in 2023—to title status rather than sanctioning an undisputed rematch. But if you think that takes away from the heft of Usyk-Fury II, you couldn't be more wrong.

They're the two best heavyweights in the world on merit, having beaten the likes of Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua and Dubois a combined five times (three by stoppage) while winning eight times on the championship stage since Fury's initial reign began in 2015.

Their first encounter was an instant classic, and there's little reason to believe there won't be another this time around. And, alphabetical New Jersey-based nonsense notwithstanding, the winner will remain the division's most-decorated king since Lennox Lewis ascended to a then-three-belt throne in 1999.

Happy holidays.

Nickname: The Cat

Record: 22-0, 14 KOs

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 223.5 pounds*

Reach: 78"

Age: 37

Stance: Southpaw

Rounds: 189

All stats courtesy of BoxRec.

*Official weight at last fight in May 2024.

Nickname: Gypsy King

Record: 34-1-1, 24 KOs

Height: 6'9"

Weight: 262 pounds*

Reach: 85"

Age: 36

Stance: Orthodox

Rounds: 242

All stats courtesy of Boxrec.

*Official weight at last fight in May 2024.

Eventually, we're going to have to give Usyk some credit.

He wasn't given full marks for beating Joshua until he'd done it twice. And it's only now that his dismantling of Dubois, who's since KO'd Joshua himself, has been raised to a higher level.

That doesn't even consider the number he did on Fury, who dwarfed him in height, reach and weight but was never able to sustain punishment on a foe whose sublime mix of speed, footwork, and precision—not to mention guts—enabled him to survive early and thrive late.

He's made a habit of bamboozling big men.

And it will take a big effort to keep it from happening again.

Fury, on his game, is capable of a big effort.

He's still taller and longer and capable of movement and technique not typically associated with a man of his size. So, if he's able to stay focused on the task at hand—which he promises this time—it's not impossible to see him teaching a 36-minute masterclass.

Until it happens, though, the guy who won the first one gets the nod.

Advantage: Usyk

There was a knockdown in the first Usyk-Fury fight, and it was the bigger Englishman who hit the deck in the ninth round.

And lest anyone forget, the British fighter swayed like a noodle-legged toddler upon rising and was fortunate to escape the session. So, a suggestion that Usyk, who rattled Joshua and finished Dubois, can get things done based on power is hardly hyperbolic.

Still, if you imagine someone winning by KO on Saturday, it's easier to envision Fury.

Usyk had a more diverse skill set than Joshua or Dubois and delivered prolonged volleys of accurate, crisp punches that broke them physically and mentally, not concussively.

Meanwhile, a 270-pound Fury beat fellow giant Wilder with ease in their second and third fights, dumping the 6'6" slugger to the floor five times while scoring two KOs.

His size and speed are weaponized when he fights off the front foot and presses the action, and he was able to batter Usyk, particularly to the body, at times. He may get it done inside the distance when the two men get back together on Saturday, but if a finish happens, it's still more likely he creates it.

Advantage: Fury

Fury is a heavyweight unlike any that's ever been.

The 36-year-old is huge, but somehow far closer to a ballet dancer than a lumbering giant.

He's awfully quick for a guy with his body type and can utilize both his length to keep danger at a distance and his mass to smother any opponent's attempt at prolonged punishment.

And when he does get hit, his recuperative powers verge on zombie-like, as he showed while getting off the floor against Wilder, Francis Ngannou and Usyk himself.

But when it comes to defense, he's in the champion's wheelhouse.

Given the size disadvantages he's faced in every high-profile heavyweight fight, Usyk's penchant for avoiding prolonged exchanges is as much a mandate as a strategy.

His fundamentals and ring IQ have enabled him to get into the second halves of fights and swim his opponents into deeper waters where they've been compromised enough to succumb to stinging shots.

So long as he's unbeaten, you've got to assume it's a winning plan.

Advantage: Usyk

Usyk's X-Factor: Can He Maintain the High Level?

There's no debating Usyk beat Joshua twice. There's equal consensus he proved himself far superior to Dubois. There's only middling dissension to suggest the decision in the first Fury fight didn't go in a proper direction.

So, he's accomplished a lot. But it's not been easy.

And each time he turns the key to try to rev the engines for another impossible task against another physically superior opponent, you have to wonder if all cylinders will fire.

He's 37 years old. He's fought in multiple weight classes, and even though he's not been beaten, it's no stretch to suggest the fights have been taxing. And that's not even mentioning the stressors in his Ukraine homeland, ravaged by a long war with Russia during which his family's estate was occupied and trashed by enemy forces.

At some point, the roar will be replaced by a sputter. Maybe sooner than later.

Fury's X-Factor: Can He Cut the Clowning?

There were times in May when Fury looked so superior to Usyk that a decision or even a KO seemed certain. Then, he'd stick his chin out or put his hands behind his back.

And the needle would move back in the other direction.

Given the scorecard margin between the two was so narrow, perhaps it was more the nonsense—and less of Usyk—that led to Fury's first defeat. That's what the former champ is counting on as the weekend approaches.

"I'm just going to box smart, box clever and if I catch him, get him out of there," Fury said. "Pretty similar to what I did last time. A little bit less clowning around and a bit more focus and that's it, really."