Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk Undercard: Three Fights You Cannot Miss (2024)

Yes, the Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk clash is the main dish in tonight’s ‘Ring of Fire’ event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but there are some bangers in the undercards as well, which fans wouldn’t want to miss! With the stage set and fighters at the venue, in mere hours, WBC champion Fury and IBF, WBA and WBO champion Usyk would clash in the ring to produce the first undisputed heavyweight champion in decades.

However, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has gone far and beyond to justify the pay-per-view prices fans will pay to witness history unfold. So, besides the main event that’s going to be epic, let’s talk about these other fights that could’ve easily headlined their own events! Watch out for Jai Opetaia, Frank Sanchez, and Joe Cordina, folks. Why? Well, here’s the scoop!

Jai Opetaia vs. Mairis Briedis

Just before Usyk and Fury dance in the ring, Opetaia and Mairis Briedis will look to battle it out for the now vacant IBF cruiserweight title, which at one point or the other were held by both boxers. Following Usyk’s exit from cruiserweight, the Australian boxer became one of the biggest names in the division.

Interestingly, in July 2022, the duo fought each other for the same title, which Briedis held back then. After what was one of the bloodiest battles of the year that left Opetaia with a broken jaw and Briedis with a broken nose, the undefeated Aussie edged the fight to take home the title. However, the IBF decided to strip Opetaia of his title and imposed a mandatory defense against Briedis even though the Latvian was recovering from an injury.

May 11, 2024 06:53 PM EDTMay 20, 2024 01:20 PM EDTMay 21, 2024 02:20 PM EDTMay 21, 2024 01:15 PM EDTMay 18, 2024 11:51 PM EDT

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Opetaia has since built on his win by defeating Jordan Thompson and Ellis Zorro, two knockout wins, as he is preparing for yet another battle with Briedis. In the meantime, the 39-year-old hasn’t fought since his fight against Opetaia in 2022, causing many to highlight the potential ring rust. Not to mention, Briedis’ age has also been brought to question against the 28-year-old talent.

Frank Sanchez vs. Agit Kabayel

Another heavyweight bout—another exciting matchup! Frank Sanchez, for all intents and purposes, is a great boxer, looking to climb the heavyweight ladder to a title shot. However, his opposition in his past fights is nothing to brag about, with few familiar names here and there. Sanchez’s best win thus far was probably against Efe Ajagba all the way back in 2021, and he has fought five times since then—winning all but one through knockouts.

Meanwhile, undefeated Agit Kabayel manages to make the headlines every now and again, but has mostly stayed on the sidelines of the division. However, he still proves to be the toughest opponent for Sanchez, given the latter’s resume. Also, because when Sanchez defeated Junior Fa in December last year, on the same card, Kabayel stole the show by thrashing Arslanbek Makhmudov. Other than that, the Germany born boxer has barely gone out of his home turf to fight.

However, the twist in the story is, after this fight, one of the boxers has a good chance of getting a shot at a title fight. This could become even more real if Tyson and Usyk fight again for their rematch, which will strip the winner of the IBF title because the rematch will force the winner to avoid the mandatory challenger for the division. And the winner between Sanchez and Kabayel will be prime for the taking, and if the rematch doesn’t happen, maybe a fight against the undisputed. Who knows? Anything can happen!

Joe Cordina vs. Anthony Cacace

Moving away from the big guys for a while, the next fight will see Joe Cordina and Anthony Cacace compete for the IBF and IBO super featherweight titles. The 32-year-old Cordina obtained his IBF title after an unforgettable night at Cardiff against Kenichi Ogawa via a second-round knockout. He has since warded off Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov and Edward Vazquez from snatching his title, which were the furthest thing from simple fights.

On the other hand, a fight against Cacace seems to be a step down for Cordina, especially considering Cacace doesn’t possess the one punch knockout power of Cordina. On top of that, Cacace’s resume has been extremely spotty at best since he was defeated by Martin J Ward in 2017. He didn’t just sit out 2018 and 2020 entirely, he has been fighting just once a year since 2021. Despite that, Cacace managed to pull off three wins in the last three years, two via unanimous decision and one via split.

So, if anyone was planning to tune in just before the final fight of the night, here’s a fair warning that the undercards are more than worth watching. Is there any other fight that we missed here? Let us know in the comments below?