Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk 2 fighter PREDICTIONS: Boxing royalty Eddie Hearn, Lennox Lewis and Barry McGuigan pick their winner in Saturday’s Riyadh showdown

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will face off again in Riyadh on Saturday just seven months after the Ukrainian triumphed over the Gypsy King by split decision — and the boxing world is eagerly predicting who will come out on top this time around.

Usyk, who heads into the Saudi showpiece as the heavyweight division’s undisputed champion, put on a late surge to beat his rival in the closely-fought contest in May.

The Ukrainian, 37, will be eager to extend his undefeated win streak to 23 with a victory at the Kingdom Arena on Saturday. 

Fury, 36, shocked fans this week by admitting that he has not spoken to his wife Paris in three months in an attempt to stay focused on the task at hand, with father John confirmed not to be in his corner during the bout, as he was in May. 

Given how even the initial bout was before Usyk’s dominance in the latter rounds, several high-profile names in world boxing have forecasted the outcome of the fight on December 21, from former champions like Lennox Lewis to high-profile promoters such as Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren.

Mail Sport takes a look at the most noteworthy predictions from world boxing ahead of the seismic showdown.

Frank Warren – Fury

Warren is confident that Fury will win if he gets his opponent on the ‘back foot’ early, vowing that Saturday’s fight ‘will not go the distance’.

Reflecting on May’s showpiece, the promoter has claimed that Usyk fought aggressively in order not to expose his weakness, suggesting that it could be curtains for the Ukrainian if Fury gains the upper hand.

‘What Usyk did in the last fight, he came out and he put it on Tyson. And he backed him up because he knew he had to back him up,’ Warren exclusively told Mail Sport.

‘But Tyson isn’t bad on the back foot. Usyk isn’t good on the back foot, so what is going to happen? As soon as that first bell goes, bang. One of them will have to try and take the centre of the ring. 

‘Both are going to try and push each other back. That’s why it’s going to be a good fight. And I tell you what, it will not go the distance.’

Eddie Hearn – Fury

Hearn believes Saturday’s fight will be extremely close and urged that there will be plenty of ‘close rounds’ – but has narrowly given the edge to Fury.

Admitting he has switched back and forth between the two, Hearn told iFL TV: ‘If Fury wins – and I’m actually leaning towards him, I’ve had a little bit of a [switch].

‘Fury could fight AJ [Anthony Joshua] for the unified world heavyweight title. The biggest fight ever in the sport. Wembley, Riyadh, wherever.’

Despite backing Fury, he admitted to Mail Sport earlier this week that ‘anything can happen’ given the ‘high level’ nature of the bout. 

‘The reality is it’s high level sport – this is the elite where anything can happen on a given night. This fight will always be close,’ Hearn exclusively said in an interview with Mail Sport.

‘Unless someone lands a shot from the gods early on, and the same applies this Saturday, you’re not going to see a 10-2 fight in my opinion. You’re going to see a fight with close rounds, compelling.’

Lennox Lewis – Usyk

Lewis was the last undisputed heavyweight champion before Usyk matched that feat in May, and the Brit has admitted he is struggling to see beyond the Ukrainian getting the job done again.

However, he believes Fury has the ability to reverse the result of the pair’s first fight in May. 

‘I can’t go against the undisputed world champion, a man that hasn’t lost yet,’ Lewis told Mail Sport.

‘But I will say they both have equal skills, and I usually pick the bigger guy. Tyson Fury, is he boxes the right fight, if he makes the right decisions in this fight, he should win.’

Carl Froch – Usyk

The former three-time super-middleweight world champion wants his fellow Brit to get revenge, but is siding with Usyk to pick up a repeat victory.

Froch told Mail Sport: ‘I want Tyson Fury to pull it off so badly, even though I’m a massive Usyk fan. But I just find it difficult to pick against Oleksandr Usyk. I think he’s so good.

But I think this is going to be the best we’ve seen of Tyson in a long time. He’s past his best, but Usyk is 37. 

‘It’s going to be a close fight, it’s going to be brilliant, it’s going to ebb and flow, but I cannot pick against Oleksandr Usyk, I just can’t. 

Barry McGuigan – Usyk

Fresh out the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! jungle, McGuigan has made a bold prediction for how Saturday’s fight will unfold.

In his column for the The Mirror, the 63-year-old wrote: ‘We know he (Fury) blows up between fights. He has had mental health issues. In my experience as a fighter, manager and coach, I don’t see him improving. Usyk is 37 but is a completely different animal.

‘A world class athlete who does not blow up between fights. He’s even talking about dropping back to cruiserweight. He is the better athlete who, even as an amateur, had a professional, disciplined approach. He is always in shape and committed to the sport.

‘Fury has a different way of doing things, which is fine, but does not promote a long career. Furthermore Usyk doesn’t pay attention to all the disruption. He just turns up to fight. Every. Single. Time.

‘That’s why he is unbeaten and why I don’t believe Fury will hear the final bell. Not only is Usyk a phenomenal athlete, he has Fury’s number.

‘Fury normally has speed as well as size over his opponents, but Usyk can deal with tall opponents and has more speed. He is a marvel.’

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