Previewing the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk

The most significant date in boxing this year and arguably of the century will be the 18th of May as Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set to meet.

That night will undoubtedly accumulate the largest global audience figures of any fight card in 2024 which means the lesser fights on the undercard should gain huge exposure too. The outcome of Fury vs Usyk has been debated for years, so here we will instead focus on predicting the results of the standout fights that precede the biggest ring walk of their careers.

Joe Cordina vs Anthony Cacace

The fateful night in May will begin with the matchup between Joe Cordina and Anthony Cacace with both fighters putting their World Super Featherweight titles on the line.

Cordina will go into the initial fight of the undercard as a significant favourite across many major bookmakers. For example, bet365 offers him at 1/6 which suggests his perfect record will remain intact. The site offers a range of sign-up bonuses ahead of the massive event and you can click here to browse the full range of bonus codes.

The Welshman has entered 17 fights in his career and has won them all with an impressive knockout rate of 53%. He has successfully defended his IBF World title once and will be expected to become a unified champion in his second defence.

#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/3S2Qws2t5m

— Joe Cordina OLY (@JoeCordina_91) April 23, 2023

Cacace, on the other hand, is the more experienced fighter having starred in 22 fights. However, he lost one of them via knockout which suggests he could be vulnerable against somewhat of a knockout specialist in Cordina.

The Irishman is on a six-fight run of winning after going the distance and that is the formula he will have to follow to have any chance of defeating Cordina.

Jai Opetaia vs Mairis Briedis

Jai Opetaia vs Mairis Briedis is another title fight that will take place before the big one. The undefeated Australian vacated the IBF World Cruiserweight title belt in December and now he will have the chance to win it back against the man he first won it against in 2022.

Opetaia is a big favourite to beat Briedis again at odds of 1/5 and a win would extend his undefeated record to 25-straight bouts. He has achieved knockout wins in 19 of his 24 fights meaning an early stoppage is likely in this one.

And if you don't know, now you know.#AndStill pic.twitter.com/lsTZU5WNuy

— Jai Opetaia (@jaiopetaia1) September 30, 2023

Briedis also possesses a significant knockout threat as he has recorded 20 over a 30-fight career so far. He will likely have to cause an early stoppage to defeat his Australian rival, as Opetaia is expected to dominate and will surely win on points if the fight lasts all 12 rounds.

The two major fights on the Fury vs Usyk undercard will feature completely different narratives to the fight of the year. Both are predicted to be one-sided, with two standout stars expected to walk away as world champions.

The build-up to the highest-stakes fight of all time will be worth fans tuning in for as titles will be decided and history will be made whether expectations pan out, or an upset occurs.