This Saturday, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will finally face off in an undisputed heavyweight championship fight.

While that is the obvious highlight and the main reason to buy the PPV or not, the Riyadh card also has some good things on the pay-per-view card.

A quick glance at the most crucial information on the back of the card:

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• Jai Opetaia AND Mairis Briedis They met in a rematch for the vacant IBF cruiserweight title, the two first met in July 2022 in a bloody war that left the victorious Opetaia with a broken jaw and Briedis with a broken jaw.
• Undefeated heavyweights Frank Sanchez AND Agit Kabayel will meet in a duel on the training ground that could determine one of the next contenders for the heavyweight title.
• Joe Cordina defends his IBF super featherweight title against Antoni Caca.
• Featherlight heavyweight veteran Sergei Kovalevonce a top contender in the division, is fighting for the first time in two years against Robin Sirwan Safar in a cruiserweight fight.

Opetaia (24-0, 19 KO) has been considered a top contender in the cruiserweight division since his win over Briedis (28-2, 20 KO) almost two years ago. Their fight in Australia was absolutely brutal, a war of attrition that saw neither fighter give up for more than 12 rounds, and Opetaia went from question mark to leader in that time. Since then, Opetaia has absolutely crushed Jordan Thompson and Ellis Zorro, only further elevating his status while Briedis has been inactive.

• Grades: A-. In a sense, there’s no telling what we’ll get out of the 39-year-old Briedis after such a long period on the sidelines, but it’s also challenging to be negative about this fight, even if you suspect Briedis might be worse off in terms of wear and tear or even earnings on the outside. If he’s making money, he’s making it in the toughest fight he’s ever had, so that in itself is respectable. The vacant IBF title is what it is, a nonsensical piece of protocol – it gets dumber to follow the more you explain it, but the belt that should be included is there, so just keep going.

Sanchez (24-0, 17 KOs) went from treading water (at best) on PBC cards to a Saudi heavyweight card, now finally getting a good fight on paper against Kabayel (24-0, 16 KOs), who went from semi-mystery on the European level to looking like a potential real contender after demolishing Arslanbek Makhmudov.

• Grades: B+. This could be a bad watch on any occasion, as Sanchez is not the best Evander Holyfield in terms of entertainment value, but it is a solid fight between two guys with something to prove, and both hope to become a real option for Fury vs. Usyk or another world title fight in the near future. The winner will be in this set; if the winner wins impressively, all the better.

Cordina (17-0, 9 KOs) took the IBF 130-pound title from Kenichi Ogawa in a brutal knockout about two years ago and has defended twice, defeating Shavkat Rakhimov and Edward Vazquez, both tough fights that ended with Cordina’s skill. Cacace (21-1, 7 KOs) is a former British champion who has done everything he can to earn his first world title shot, winning six in a row since losing to Martin J. Ward in 2017.

Grades: B. It’s not some amazing fight or anything, but Cacace is a decent enough contender and on the boxing scale of “world title contender” he doesn’t in any way offend credibility. Once again he did what the sport asked him to do and here he is. He’s also the type of fighter who will give it a fair try even if Cordina proves to be a stern style challenge in the early rounds.

Kovalev (35-4-1, 29 KOs) has only fought once since his 2019 KO of Canelo Alvarez, and that was two years ago, and his cruiserweight win over Tervel Pulev left no real impression. He looked decent enough to win it fair and square, but the Russian is now 41 and a shadow of his prime. Safar (16-0, 12 KOs) is a 31-year-old Swedish fighter who turned pro in 2017. This is obviously a gigantic opportunity for him in a gigantic event. Since 2019, his career has been tied to the US, but until now he has really been fighting at club level.

Ratings: incomplete. I really have no idea what we’re getting here, what Kovalev has left in the tank, what Safar really has. It adds some interest to the matchup, but certainly nothing more.

Also on the card: Lightweight Mark Chamberlain looks set to continue his progression against Joshua Oluwaseun; rising cruiserweight prospect David Nyika fights Michael Seitz; heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma in action and more.

Tyson Fury may never have been a lean, athletic bodybuilder, but the WBC heavyweight titleholder looks in good shape ahead of his undisputed title fight with Oleksandr Usyk on May 18.

Both will be the main characters of the pay-per-view broadcast – available in both cases DAZN AND ESPN+ — from Riyadh, rescheduled from a previous date that fell through when Fury was injured during training camp.

Some have questioned Fury’s (34-0-1, 24 KO) fitness, especially after showing off his quarter-serious form last October in a 10-round fight with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou.

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But the 35-year-old “Gypsy King” is clearly taking the challenge much more seriously, as he should and as you would expect:

I’ll say it again: Fury will never have the physical shape or form of Anthony Joshua, but compare that to his recent fights and you’ll see the man stepping up to be the best he can be this time around.

Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), the WBA, IBF and WBO titleholder, is always in excellent shape but is also much smaller than Fury, which is a substantial part of the appeal of this fight, and his cunning skills could outdo the taller, heavier Fury.

Ahead of their May 25 rematch, some time after a controversial decision in their first meeting, Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall sit down for a face-to-face chat. On the DAZN show, the two fighters discuss the path to continuing, their feelings for each other and why they both believe this time will be different.

Catterall finally gets his rematch with Taylor

“It’s a relief that the fight is now signed. We’ve had him cornered for two years and we’re in a position where we’ve got a date and a venue set so we can make it happen.

Catterall on why the rematch took so long

I think first of all we had a rematch lined up, he got hurt, vacated all the belts, and then he went and boxed Lopez. I think Josh has ambitions to fight your Crawfords and Spences, but now he realizes I’m his biggest fight now.

Taylor on the apparent hatred between Catterall and himself

“There’s no hate. I don’t hate him, I don’t know that I hate him. But he’s said a lot of things over the years that have caused some resentment. He’s not a guy I’d sit down and have a beer with. He doesn’t like me, I don’t like him, so it’s a neat slate for me.

Catterall on her feelings for Taylor

“Hate is a forceful word but we’ve got two different characters and there’s a whole narrative to that about England v Scotland. Yes, it’s a good rivalry and it’s entertaining but it’s just me v Josh and I don’t think he’s a nice guy, he’s not someone I’d shake hands with and have a pint with. We don’t see eye to eye, we’re not friends and we’re going to fight and that’s what I’m most excited about – to be able to put the gloves on and dust him off.”

Taylor believes Catterall can’t do better in the rematch and expects his fight to be even better

“I think it’s quite obvious [that I have the ability to perform better]. It is clear from my previous performances, titles and awards. I did 100 things better.

“I think his style and the way he’s boxing – he’s doing enough to try and win – the other guys coming in now are good fighters and they’ve got him covered no problem. I don’t think he’ll be a world champion. He’ll be almost a man in British boxing.”