Fury vs Usyk 2 LIVE: Latest news and updates as rivals share absurdly long face-off at press conference

So, the press conference should start any moment now. Usually, these events are broken into two parts: an undercard conference, and one for the main event.

Here’s how Saturday’s fight card looks, from first bout to last:

Mohammad Alakel vs Joshua Ocampo (super-featherweight)

Andrii Novytskyi vs Edgar Ramirez (heavyweight)

Daniel Lapin vs Dylan Colin (light-heavyweight)

Rhys Edwards vs Peter McGrail (super-bantamweight)

Isaac Lowe vs Lee McGregor (featherweight)

Johnny Fisher vs Dave Allen (heavyweight)

Moses Itauma vs Demsey McKean (heavyweight)

Serhii Bohachuk vs Ishmael Davis (super-welterweight)

Oleksandr Usyk (C) vs Tyson Fury 2 (WBC, WBO and WBA heavyweight titles)

Subject to late changes; ‘C’ denotes champion.

The heavyweight rematch between Fury and Usyk will feature scoring from a fourth ‘judge’ powered by artificial intelligence.

Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, announced the implementation of the AI judge in a post on X, adding that it is an “experiment” which “won’t impact the official results”.

“For the first time ever, an AI-powered judge will monitor the fight”, said the post. “Free from bias and human error brought to you by The Ring. This groundbreaking experiment, which won’t impact the official results, debuts during the biggest fight of the century.”

The announcement is sure to split opinion in a sport that has long been affected by controversial judges’ decisions, with some fans on social media welcoming the move.

More here:

Reports suggested that the overall purse for the first fight was around $150m (£116m), with Fury taking roughly 70 per cent of that.

For the rematch, the purse is reported to be closer to $191m (£150m), and while the split has not been disclosed, Usyk should earn a greater percentage than he did in May – as the A-side this time around.

As with recent Saudi-staged events, the fight will air live on DAZN pay-per-view, TNT Sports Box Office, and Sky Sports Box Office – priced at £24.99 on all three.

However, DAZN is the only one that doesn’t require viewers to have a subscription to access the PPV; and it is offering a free, seven-day, no-commitment trial if fans buy the event. Purchase the fight on DAZN here.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch Joshua vs Dubois, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

In May, we looked at the scorecards from Fury vs Usyk 1, to see if the judges got it right.

Here’s what we thought, including how we scored the bout:

There were signs in the first fight that the end is not far away for either of the two men.

Fury is now 36, has fought 36 times and has been a professional boxer for 17 years. He has also had bad years, days when he looked at death, hid in the darkest of places and gained 10 stone in flab.

Usyk is 37 and has never had an easy fight since turning professional in 2013; he has been matched hard from the start and in 22 fights he has managed to become the undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight.

In private, they talk of exhaustion and bodies that are simply getting closer to shutting down. At the end of the first fight, they were both near collapse.

Steve Bunce on the role of age in Usyk vs Fury 2:

As the press conference edges closer, why not read our piece on Usyk from May – ahead of his first fight with Fury – on the Ukrainian’s role in the war with Russia?

It features interviews with Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk and other compatriots.

Fury expects to be more than a stone heavier against Usyk on Saturday than he was in May.

Ahead of their first fight, which Usyk won via split decision to become undisputed heavyweight champion, Fury tipped the scales at 18.7st (262lb). Meanwhile, Usyk – a former undisputed cruiserweight champion – weighed in at 15.9st (223lb), slightly surpassing his previous career-high weight.

But ahead of Saturday’s rematch for the unified belts, after Usyk vacated the IBF title in spring, Fury will be coming in even heavier.

“[I’m] about 20st (280lb) at the moment, just over,” Fury told Sky Sports, before saying it will give him “more power in the punches”.

When asked whether his best performances have come at heavier weights, the Briton added: “I think so, yeah. When a 20st man hits you on the jaw, compared to a man at 17st, it’s a bit different for sure. I’m gonna beat him that bad on Saturday, he ain’t gonna want a rematch – but listen, I think people do a lot of stuff for a right few quid, don’t they? So, crazier things have happened.”

More here:

The big bit of news from yesterday’s open workouts was that Tyson Fury’s father, John, will apparently not be in the “Gypsy King”’s corner on Saturday.

Sugarhill Steward, Fury’s head coach, said the former champion’s corner team would consist of himself, Andy Lee, and a cutman.

In May, as Fury lost to Usyk on points, it was widely thought that the Briton had too many voices in his corner. But John Fury specifically came under criticism for what was deemed weak advice to his son.

Furthermore, John Fury headbutted a member of Usyk’s team during fight week in May, cutting his own head in the process.

We’ll find out on Saturday if Steward was telling the truth, or if he’s misleading us...

“Just for the record, I’m going to absolutely annihilate this motherf***** on Saturday night,” Fury told DAZN. “No retirement, I’m cleaning them all out and he’s going to be first. Rabbit’s face.

“I was very happy with the performance [in the first fight]. I didn’t get the result I wanted, but I was happy overall with what I did. It wasn’t any different to what I thought it would be. He was easier to hit.”

Opening up on his vow not to retire, Fury added: “I’ve tried to walk away many times and have been unsuccessful. I meant it when I retired after Dillian Whyte back in 2022. I really meant that wholeheartedly.

“I could have put my hands on the Bible and meant it, but it was very difficult to let it go, so I’m not sure if I can ever let it go.

“What brings me back to the ring? Victory, winning the belts and keep going. It’s what I do.”

And win or lose at Kingdom Arena, Fury will be keeping perspective on what it means to step into the ring.

The 36-year-old has spoken openly about his struggle with depression, including a suicidal spell in 2016, and insists that mental health will always be his ultimate battle.

“I don’t think boxing is ever my biggest victory. I’ve come back from suicide, I’ve come back from the depths of despair,” he said.

“So to go in there and get paid a tonne of money to do a boxing match with some clown, it’s child’s play compared to what I’ve had to go through. Boxing for me is a game compared to what I’ve had to come through.”