Furious boxing fans have labelled the lack of radio coverage for the Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk fight a ‘tradegy’ as supporters are forced to cough up £25 to watch the clash on pay-per-view.
The fighters will go head-to-head in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night with the winner crowned as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
But despite four broadcasters gaining the rights to show the spectacle in the UK, the radio waves will stay silent after a deal was not struck with the BBC.
According to The Times, Saudi promoters opted not to sell the radio rights in the UK because they believed it would diminish the number of pay-per-view sales.
Instead, UK viewers wanting to watch the highly-anticipated clash will have to pay £24.95 to watch it on either DAZN PPV, Sky Sports Box Office or TNT Sports Box Office.
Fans have reacted angrily on social media to lack of radio coverage with one posting on X: ‘Shame the fight is not on the radio, I expect many boxing fans like me had been looking forward to listening to it for many months, what a let down.
‘We can’t afford the pay-per-view.’
Furious boxing fans have labelled the lack of radio coverage for the Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk fight a ‘tradegy’ as supporters are forced to cough up £25 to watch the clash on pay-per-view
Another said: ‘Shame you and Usyk couldn’t agree a radio deal with the BBC. The biggest fight in years would have had untold millions listening, a huge event, now it’s just going to be a one-minute article on the following evening’s news.
‘Good luck to the King.’
A third added: ‘Thank you for making this happen – but it is such a huge tragedy that it will not be available on radio to listeners in the UK.’
A fourth said: ‘How shameful that neither TalkSport or Radio 5 have coverage of Fury v Uysk.’
Fury and Usyk will battle it out over 12 rounds in a winner-takes-all bout which is due to get underway at 11pm UK time – 1am Saudi Arabia time on Sunday, May 19.
The fight is expected to be the zenith in the boxers’ careers that both started from humble beginnings.
Fury’s long road to Riyadh has been peppered with controversy, battles with mental health, and regular threats to quit the sport entirely.
The 35-year-old was born in Manchester in 1988, the son of Irish traveller parents Amber and John – the latter a former professional boxer, who has since made his name as a passionate supporter and member of his son’s entourage.
Usyk, on the other hand, was born in the Crimea at the end of the cold war.
Tyson Fury (left) and Oleksandr Usyk pose after attending a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ahead of Saturday’s big fight
Usyk was born in the Crimea at the end of the Cold War and initially considered a career in football before switching to boxing
The fight has been rescheduled twice, once to make way for Fury’s fight with Francis Ngannou (pictured)
Pictured: Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk during a weigh-in at BLVD City Music World, Riyadh
The two will battle it out over twelve rounds with the winner being crowned the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999
‘The Gypsy King’is currently the WBC champion
The 37-year-old, known as The Cat, initially considered a career in football before switching to boxing.
Like Fury, he had a long and successful record in amateur boxing, and did not turn professional until he reached 26 – some six years older then Fury.
But as he reached the peak of his powers, war broke out.
Russia’s invasion of his native Ukraine continues to leave an indelible mark on Usyk.
He said last year: ‘I went home to the front line. I lived with the troops. I was there for them. Through binoculars from 900 metres I saw my enemies running, tanks exploding, houses broken.
‘I saw people with no arms or legs. I saw those who could still walk looking like the walking dead. Everything, everywhere, dead.
‘I spent a lot of time with these people. Few of them are professional soldiers. They are not ready to be in a war.
‘One was a banker. One a baker. Another a businessman. There are some real soldiers but most of those on the front line are not. They are only there to fight for freedom. And we are going to win that freedom.’
The conflict had an added layer of complexity for Usyk, whose wife Yekaterina Usyk is Russian.
The fight tonight will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. The arena has played hosted to a ton of heavyweight clashes, the most notable being back in March 2024 when Anthony Joshua beat Francis Ngannou by way of knockout.
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