Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Boxing, Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk
Luke Davies
The third judge for Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s unified heavyweight title bout on Saturday evening has finally been confirmed – but the decision was made using an interesting method.
Fury, 36, and Usyk, 37, will go toe-to-toe for the second time at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday night, with the Ukrainian proving too good for the ‘Gypsy King’ in their first contest back in May.
On that occasion, Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis over two decades earlier.
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Come Saturday night, he will enter the ring as the unified champion after being forced to relinquish his IBF belt just weeks after the fight last spring – with Brit Daniel Dubois holding the belt currently.
Fight week has already captured the imagination of fans.
On Thursday, the pair faced off for a record 11 minutes and 20 seconds, with neither man prepared to give an inch to their opponent.
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A day later, on Friday, both men came in a career-heaviest weight – Fury 20st 1lb and Usyk 16st 2lb - but the pair decided to wear clothing when stepping on the scales.
But that’s not all; there has been some confusion surrounding the judges of the fight.
Originally, Puerto Rico's Gerardo Martinez, Chicago's Patrick Morley and Miami's Fernando Barbosa were the judges set to score the contest.
But Barbosa was unable to travel due to illness.
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This left the camps split over potential replacements Steve Weisfeld and Ignacio Robles. It was thought that Team Fury preferred Weisfield, with Team Usyk reportedly wanting Robles at ringside.
But Robles was confirmed as the judge on Saturday morning, according to Sky Sports
However, it was how the decision was made that left fans baffled.
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When you consider the glitz and glamour surrounding this fight and the fact that an AI-powered judge will be used, you may have expected some kind of futuristic way of deciding between the judges to emerge.
But it was reportedly a simple coin toss that was the decider.
“Update on judging panel for Usyk-Fury 2,” journalist Keith Idec posted on X.
“After much back & forth between camps & local commission, Panama’s Ignacio Robles, not N.J.’s Steve Weisfeld, has replaced Miami’s Fernando Robles [Barbosa] as a judge. A coin flip early Saturday afternoon in Riyadh decided it. NOT making this up.”
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When a fan in the comments asked if it was Usyk who got his preferred judge, Idec replied: "Ultimately, yes, though they would have been OK with Weisfeld as well. They did prefer Robles, to answer your question."
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To watch Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk go head to head, there are three options:
1.) You can watch the rematch on DAZN with no subscription required. All you need to do is buy the PPV for £24.99 and you will automatically get a seven-day free trial which you can later cancel to stop the subscription from rolling over. You’ll be able to stream the match on a range of devices including PlayStation, Chromecast, and Smart TV. If you do decide to roll over your free trial, you’ll move onto a monthly plan costing £24.99 per month and get access to over 150 fights every year, with the option to cancel with 30 days’ notice.
2.) You can also tune in live on Sky Sports Box Office (Sky channel 491). The event is priced at £24.95 for Sky customers in the UK and $27.95 if you’re based in the Republic of Ireland. Sadly Sky does not offer free trials, but Sky subscribers can book the match here and if you’re new to Sky, you can sign up here.
3.) Finally, you can watch the fight on TNT Sports with a Prime Video subscription (free for the first month then £8.99/ month), provided you have discovery+ (from £3.99/ month) as part of your subscription. If you don't fancy shelling out, you can simply cancel your subscription after the first month.
“After much back & forth between camps & local commission, Panama’s Ignacio Robles, not N.J.’s Steve Weisfeld, has replaced Miami’s Fernando Robles [Barbosa] as a judge. A coin flip early Saturday afternoon in Riyadh decided it. NOT making this up.”