There will be a late change to the judging panel for Tyson Fury’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, with one judge withdrawing due to illness – a matter that has led to a dispute between the fighters’ camps.

Fury will fight Usyk in Riyadh, seven months after losing to the Ukrainian via split decision. Usyk’s victory kept him unbeaten and crowned him the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years, while Fury suffered defeat for the first time.

Their rematch, for the unified titles, is set to be scored by US judge Pat Morley and Puerto Rico’s Gerardo Martinez, who were set to be joined by Fernando Barbosa. But Barbosa withdrew due to illness late on Thursday, before he could fly to Riyadh.

Anthony Joshua has made his prediction for Saturday’s rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, declaring that the winner will “edge” the bout.

Fury will challenge Usyk for the unified heavyweight titles on Saturday, seven months after losing their undisputed showdown on points.

Ahead of their second clash in Riyadh, many voices in boxing have made their predictions – and shown how divided those in the sport are – with “AJ” among them.

The Briton, 35, lost to Usyk on points in 2021 and 2022, and he has long been linked to a fight with compatriot Fury, 36.

“I think it’s going to be a tough fight early on, and then I feel like Usyk will edge it again,” Joshua said, via the Mirror.

Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk told The Independent: “Beard rule is grossly violated, so Tyson’s beard has to be trimmed. We will push it further.”

Krassyuk also highlighted the WBC’s rules, specifically: “A boxer may [sport] a trimmed beard and/or moustache as long as, [at] the discretion of the commission and the supervisor, the facial hair thickness does not: (1) cushion or in any way affect the impact or trajectory of punches; or (2) cause cuts or abrasions to his rival.”

Fury, 36, has alternated between being clean shaven and sporting a beard in recent years. In his first fight with Usyk, 37, he was clean shaven, while he had a shorter beard against Francis Ngannou last October.

Arguably his thickest beard to date was on display during his trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder in 2021, when the Briton stopped his rival for the second time in three fights – after they initially drew in 2018.

The third judge for Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s heavyweight championship rematch has been confirmed, with a coin toss settling the dispute between rival camps ahead of tonight’s showdown in Saudi Arabia.

Fernando Barbosa had been set to score the bout in Riyadh, but he withdrew due to illness late on Thursday before he could fly to Saudi Arabia.

Fury and Usyk’s teams were split on which judge should replace Barbosa and Fury’s promoter Frank Warren reportedly suggested that a coin toss should settle the issue.

But it has now been confirmed that Ignacio Robles will join officials Pat Morley and Gerardo Martinez at ringside. Steve Weisfeld, who made the journey to Saudi Arabia on Thursday night, was also in contention, but the coin toss determined Robles will officiate instead.

Tyson Fury will reportedly not have to trim his beard for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk this weekend.

Fury, who claimed he cut himself off from his family during an intense training camp, has sported a long beard this week, as he aims to avenge his sole professional loss – a split decision against Usyk in May. That result kept Usyk unbeaten and saw him crowned the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years.

And ahead of Saturday’s second meeting in Riyadh, where Usyk defends the unified belts this time, the Ukrainian flagged Fury’s beard as a potential concern.

When is the fight and what time does it start?

Fury vs Usyk 2, over 12 rounds for the unified heavyweight titles, will take place on Saturday 21 December. The rematch takes place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The first fight is set for 5pm GMT (9am PT / 11am CT / 12pm ET), with main-event ring walks scheduled for 10.15pm GMT (2.15pm PT / 4.15pm CT / 5.15pm ET).

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.

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.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk meet again, as the Briton bids for revenge – and heavyweight gold.

Usyk narrowly outpointed Fury in May, becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years. With that, the Ukrainian stayed unbeaten and handed Fury his first professional loss.

It also kept him unbeaten, although he had to fight through adversity in the middle rounds to keep that perfect record intact.

Since then, the 37-year-old has vacated the IBF belt, meaning only three of the four major titles are on the line in this rematch. Still, Fury, 36, will be highly motivated to level the score.

But as the Saudi showdown edges nearer and predictions are made, opinions are split in the boxing world.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will clash again tonight, seven months after the Ukrainian was crowned undisputed heavyweight champion.

Israil Madrimov, who fought valiantly in a loss to Terence Crawford in August, was due to star, but he has fallen ill and will be replaced against Serhii Bohachuk – with Ishmael Davis stepping in. Also, Dennis McCann is out of his fight with Peter McGrail after failing a drug test, and Rhys Edwards will replace him.

Here’s everything you need to know:

The Briton’s loss to Usyk was the first of his professional career, while Usyk’s split-decision win kept him unbeaten. However, Fury has a strong record in rematches: after points wins over Derek Chisora and John McDermott and a draw with Deontay Wilder, the “Gypsy King” stopped each man the second time around – and third, in the cases of Wilder and Chisora.

So, fans expect another close affair in Saudi Arabia. Yet Usyk, 37, is the favourite ahead of this rematch – having come close to stopping Fury, 36, in round nine in May.

Here’s everything you need to know about the rematch: