Instead we round out the Boxing season in Saudi Arabia where the top two Heavyweights of this generation meet for a second time.
This time it is not for 'Undisputed', but the winning fighter will be considered 'the man' in the Division and the flourishing Heavyweight scene has already got other big fights lined up in the first quarter of 2025.
The rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury is the headline, but there are some potential future Heavyweight Champions on the undercard.
Ultimately all eyes will be on the main event on Saturday and that is a fight that has captured the sporting headlines during the busy festive period of sports. Both Usyk and Fury have their legacies on the line and it should be another top fight after the original exceeded all expectations.
With the final card of the year set to take place, it has proven to be a decent year for the Boxing Picks.
After the disappointment of 2023, it was important to put a solid year together, even if there remains some for improvement going into 2025 and what is expected to be another big season for the sport.
There are some big cards already in place for next year and more to be announced with the Saudi backers still firmly invested in Boxing.
Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury II
There is little doubt that the Heavyweight Division has really thrived thanks to the huge amount of investment made in the sport of Boxing over the last fifteen months.
Having an Undisputed Fight to determine the King of the Division is clearly something the fans had been demanding for a long time before Riyadh Season managed to put it together back in May.
Now we get to see Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury prepare for the Thirteenth Round of their rivalry, albeit without all of the Heavyweight Titles on the line as they were the first time around.
Activity has been key to keeping the Division going while the top two have been preparing to meet again and there have been a lot of fights that have been made that may not have without the Saudi investment.
When these two Heavyweights met the first time around, I ended up sitting on the fence with the prediction even if my narrow lean had been with Tyson Fury.
And the feeling is that this could be another razor-thin Decision either way.
It is hard to ignore the sight of Tyson Fury being battered around the ring from pillar to post in the Ninth Round of the first fight, but it has perhaps overshadowed the fact that he had been looking like the stronger fighter through the first Eight Rounds. That is not to say he was winning the fight, but Fury looked pretty comfortable with his approach and he did win the Twelfth Round to just remind everyone of his powers of recovery.
Without the Knock Down Tyson Fury might have been the one to edge to the Decision win and he was certainly hurting Oleksandr Usyk at times. The latter showed he has perhaps got the stronger ability to take the punches coming his way compared with Fury, but there is going to be very little between them again and Tyson Fury has previously shown how much he can grow when entering a rematch.
Having that experience of facing Oleksandr Usyk the first time around should help Fury as he looks to turn things around, and it should be noted that Anthony Joshua performed better in the rematch than the original bout with the Ukrainian. Tyson Fury is an overall better boxer than AJ, although the miles on the clock do make you wonder if The Gypsy King is far beyond his peak.
Adjustments make it more difficult to know what to expect from Fury compared with the Champion who will look to pick up from where he left off in May.
Oleksandr Usyk's motivation levels have to be questioned having achieved all he has set out to do, while he may have to be even better than the first match if only to avoid falling victim to a narrow defeat that may set up a lucrative trilogy.
There are simply too many uncertainties to really be confident about this rematch and it is one where I will just sit back and watch the two best Heavyweights since the end of the Klitschko era try to prove they deserve to be called Number 1.
On February 22nd there is a hugely loaded card being put together in Saudi Arabia, but this one for the Heavyweight rematch is perhaps not as deep or as intriguing.
Instead there are a number of younger fighters looking to progress in their own development before headlining big cards of their own and a couple of crossroads bouts.
With the investment being put into the sport, it is a big opportunity for all on the card to impress the organisers and earn further chances in the weeks, months and perhaps years ahead.
One of the expected early bouts features Tyson Fury's friend Isaac Lowe, but he has not really been mixing in top company since losing back to back fights.
Lee McGregor is still on the road back from his first professional defeat, but might just have the edge in this one and can break down his opponent with a potential late Stoppage in his favour.
The two Heavyweight contests on the undercard feature young, up and coming potential Champions taking on opponents who are another notch on their development.
It would be an upset if either Johnny Fisher or Moses Itauma were to be beaten and the likelihood is that both overcome their opponents, Dave Allen and Dempsey McKean respectively, through the first half of the scheduled Ten Rounds.
The same can be said for Peter McGrail and Serhii Bohachuk who take on late replacements for different reasons- the former is in a new fight because of Dennis McCann's VADA failure, while Bohachuk's original opponent, Israel Madrimov, said he was ill having already signed on for a 'bigger' opportunity in February.
A Stoppage for both is expected with Serhii Bohachuk likely to get through his bout before the Seventh Round bell is rung.
MY PICKS: Lee McGregor to Win by KO/TKO @ 3.60 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Johnny Fisher to Win Between 1-5 @ 1.80 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Moses Itauma to Win Between 1-5 @ 2.62 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Peter McGrail to Win by KO/TKO @ 2.75 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Serhii Bohachuk to Win Between 1-6 @ 3.25 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Boxing 2024: 34-61, + 8.59 Units (121 Units Staked, + 7.10% Yield)
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