Hughie Fury’s heavyweight credentials will be put to the test when he takes on Alexander Povetkin on the Vasyl Lomachenko vs Luke Campbell undercard on Saturday.
In his first fight since linking up with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, Fury takes a huge step up in quality of opponent to take on former world title challenger Povetkin.
Tyson Fury’s younger cousin is looking to build another world title charge after coming up short in his first challenge for gold against Joseph Parker in September 2017.
His only other professional defeat came against another top-level opponent in Kubrat Pulev, losing via unanimous decision in Bulgaria 13 months ago.
Fury bounced back with a win over Chris Norrad before getting a win over veteran Samuel Peter in a farcical outing in Sadia Arabia in July.
Aligning with Hearn opens the door to a handful of domestic dust-ups, with Dave Allen, Dereck Chisora, Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua all fighting under the Matchroom flag.
At 24, Fury has his best years ahead of him – victory over the battled-hardened Povetkin would certainly reignite his world title prospects.
Date, UK start time and venue
Fury vs Povetkin takes place on Saturday night (August 31) at The O2 Arena in London.
Their meeting is to serve as the chief undercard fight for Lomachenko vs Campbell, with ringwalks expected at around 9pm.
Undercard coverage begins at 4:30pm.
TV channel and live stream
The fight will be televised live on Sky Sports Box Office (Sky channel 491) and Sky Sports Box Office HD (Sky channel 492), with coverage starting from 6pm.
In the UK, the event is priced at £19.95 until midnight on Friday August 30. Thereafter, it is £19.95 across self-service bookings and £24.95 if booked over the phone, with a £2 booking fee applicable if via an agent.
Fans can watch online via the Sky Sports Box Office app and website, through NOW TV and Smart Stick or on iPhone, iPad, Android phone or Android tablet.
Betting odds | Provided by Betfair | Subject to change (UK and Ireland only)
Winner
- Fury to win: 13/8
- Povetkin to win: 8/15
- Draw: 22/1
Method of victory
- Fury on points or decision: 13/5
- Fury via KO or TKO: 15/2
- Povetkin on points or decision: 13/10
- Povetkin via KO or TKO: 11/4
Prediction
Fury to claim an important win against a seasoned opponent in Povetkin, who turns 40 next month.
It will be close and could potentially could go all the way, with Fury taking a narrow decision.
Undercard
- Hugie Fury vs Alexander Povetkin (heavyweight)
- Charlie Edwards vs Julio Cesar Martinez (for Edwards' WBC flyweight title)
- Joshua Buatsi vs Ryan Ford (for Buatsi's WBA International light-heavyweight title)
- Joe Cordina vs Gavin Gwynne (for Cordina's British and Commonwealth lightweight titles)
- James Tennyson vs Atif Shafiq (for the vacant WBA International lightweight title)
- Savannah Marshall vs Daniele Basteri (super-middleweight)
- Dalton Smith vs Darryl Pearce (super-lightweight)
- Martin J Ward vs Josue Bendana (super-featherweight)
- Connor Coghill vs Dean Jones (super-featherweight)
