British heavyweight boxing titleholder Tyson Fury and Ukrainian challenger Oleksandr Usyk are set to battle for the undisputed heavyweight world championship this Saturday at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena.

As per a media statement released on Wednesday, the winner will claim the four championship belts in a unification match for boxing’s most prestigious global organisations: the World Boxing Association (WBA), the World Boxing Council (WBC), the International Boxing Federation (IBF), and the World Boxing Organisation (WBO).

The four belts prominently display images of boxing legends such as Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. The statement further noted that both Fury and Usyk aim to etch their names alongside these iconic figures in boxing history.

Saturday’s highly anticipated match will mark a milestone in modern boxing, being the first time that the four belts will be unified in a single fight. This event pays homage to the esteemed legacy of past champions who have shaped the sport’s championship titles. 

It appears that size plays a significant role, as southpaw Usyk gives up 15 centimetres (6 inches) in height to Fury, who stands at 2.06 meters (6 feet 9 inches), as well as 18 centimetres in reach and nearly 22 kilograms (49 pounds) in weight. “To win this, I don’t need to be heavy, I need to be fast, and quick,” Usyk told Ring magazine in February. “You never see a fat wolf in the forest.”

His flawless record of 21 victories and zero losses as a professional, with 14 of those wins coming by knockout, speaks volumes, and he also won Olympic gold in London in 2012. “I respect Usyk as a man,” said Fury ahead of the showdown.

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A 29-year-old British boxer collapsed after receiving a blow from Portuguese boxer Malam Varela.

Boxer Sherif Lawal died in the ring in his debut fight as a professional. The 29-year-old boxer collapsed after collapsing in the ring at the Harrow Leisure Center in London after receiving a blow to the temple from Portuguese boxer Malam Varela (2-4) 

Referee Lee Every started the knockout count, but stopped when he realized the seriousness of the British boxer’s situation.

Doctors jumped into the ring and performed CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) on the canvas for more than 10 minutes before taking him to Northwick Park Hospital, where they certified him dead

Sherif Lawal started boxing in 2018 and decided to turn professional earlier this year as a middleweight.

Tyson Fury: “It’s like people who skydive, from time to time the parachute doesn’t open and they fall to the ground”

Tyson Fury, who is awaiting his fight against Oleksandr Usyk, wanted to pay his particular tribute to Sherif Lawal after hearing the news of his death.

“God rest his soul. When you enter this world (boxing), you know it’s a dangerous sport. You go in there and they pay you danger money; they’re taking your brain out; you’re not there to tickle each other to death; we’re there to inflict damage on each other by hitting each other in the head and body… Unfortunately, things like this happen from time to time. We all know what we are getting into,” the world heavyweight champion shared.

“It’s like people who jump with a parachute, from time to time the parachute doesn’t open and they fall to the ground. That doesn’t stop everyone from jumping with a parachute,” he stressed.

Tyson Fury acknowledged that “I have known the risks all my life; it is what it is” and noted that if it is my time and it is God’s will, then I will die. If not, I will live.”

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou said on Monday that his 15-month-old son Kobe had died.

Ngannou, 37, posted a black and white photo with his son on social media and wrote, “Too soon to leave but yet he’s gone. My little boy, my mate, my partner Kobe was full of life and joy.”

Fellow athletes were among those expressing their condolences, including UFC fighter Conor McGregor.

After leaving the UFC, the French-Cameroonian fighter switched to professional boxing, losing to Tyson Fury in 2023 and to Anthony Joshua last month in his two heavyweight bouts in Saudi Arabia.

-Reuters