Tyson Fury looked down and subdued during today’s final press conference for his rematch with three-belt heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk this Saturday, December 21, on Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh season card.
Low energy
Wearing a hat and expensive threads, a drained ‘Gyspy King’ had almost nothing to say during the press conference. He showed no energy to drum up interest in the fight, further cementing the belief that boxing fans have the former WBC heavyweight champion. Tyson looked like a picture of a fighter who had already lost.
Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) was doomed. Fury’s bags under his eyes suggest he’s had a few sleepless nights worrying about his rematch. He was there in the flesh just today.
The last fight didn’t go well for Fury, losing a 12-round split decision to Usyk on May 18, and he hasn’t seemed to buckle down to stay fit in the final months since. He looks like a fighter who cut weight fast rather than slowly.
Fury didn’t seem engaged during the press conference, and you could tell he preferred to be back at home in his expensive mansion in Morecambe, Lancashire. He looks like he knows he’s going to lose, but he’s going to go through the motions, show up Saturday night, try it and then pick up this solid $76 million to $85.5 million paycheck thereafter. In other words, Fury came for the money.
Many see Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) as a firm favorite to repeat with another win and finish what he started last time, when he bounced Fury off the ropes after knocking him out in the ninth round clocked.
Usyk’s confidence
“Don’t be afraid; I will not leave you alone,” Usyk said in his last words during the press conference. He felt he didn’t need to come up with any new rules. He might have said more after watching Fury appear like a lifeless fish during the press conference; he probably felt he didn’t need to come up with something witty and new to say.
“I’m going to dish out a LOT of pain”
@Tyson_Fury #Usyk2Fury | #Riyadh Season | December 21, live on DAZN | Click link in bio to buy | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/oXeXHAzGvF
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 19, 2024
Last words of our main event
#Usyk2Fury | #Riyadh Season | December 21, live on DAZN | Click link in bio to buy | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/nj6fhMb3ZL
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 19, 2024
