Turki Alalshikh today released a new promo for the December 21st rematch between unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
Ghostly rage
The theme of the promotion is one of both fighters ghosting, seeing each other in the faces of people they interact with. Of the battered Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs), the promo accurately portrays what he’s likely dealing with mentally.
If the promo had focused entirely on Fury being the one who was mentally disturbed, plagued by regretunable to forget what happened to him last May. Tyson and his trainer, SugarHill Steward, tried to downplay what happened in the loss, brushing it off as a simple case of getting caught.
This should be the theme of the promotion. Usyk isn’t dealing with any post-fight PTSD issues he inflicted on Fury in the first fight, especially given what happened in the infamous ninth round.
Fury, 36, was well beaten by the highly technical 2012 Olympic gold medalist Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) in their previous fight on May 18, and he is upset by the loss. That loss to Tyson last May diminished his public image, and he is now seen as a regular lackey, no different from the other contenders vying to meet the king.
The fight never ended; it just took over their minds 🤯 #Usyk2Fury Reignited will end the obsession once and for all 🔥🥊
🗓️ December 21
📍 Kingdom ArenaBuy your ticket now 👇https://t.co/2vj6OWlbHb#Riyadh Season#BigTime pic.twitter.com/U3dtD73Pj9
— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) December 1, 2024
Fury’s Fight For Legacy
The defeat stripped away the aura of invisibility the Gypsy King once had, exposing him as just a warrior who was never what the unsophisticated, easily misled public thought.
It is vital that Fury redeems himself in the Usyk rematch as there is a lot of money riding on it for the Gypsy King, who needs a win to help build towards the all-British showdown against Anthony Joshua.
If Fury gets beaten by Usyk again, he’ll be back with two straight defeats (three if you count Francis Ngannou) in the first quarter of the 2025 Joshua fight, and it’ll make a joke of their matchup.
Fury-Usyk 2 Undercard
Moses Itauma vs. Demsey McKean
Johnny Fisher vs. Dave Allen
Israil Madrimov vs. Serhii Bohachuk
Dennis McCann vs Peter McGrail
Isaac Lowe vs. Lee McGregor
