Tyson Fury did virtually nothing during today’s public workout in the ring in Riyadh ahead of his rematch with unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
The Gypsy King looked and sounded like a grumpy fallen King, not a happy camper. Fury may not be happy about the many fans who are not giving the chance to win the rematch against Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) on Saturday night.
So, to repay them, he withholds, does not give of himself, and shows class passive-aggressive behavior. It’s so easy to read Fury.
Minimal movement
Fury’s performance today came down to these four things:
- Entered the ring and took off his jacket
- Put on his gloves
- Took them down
- A few words before leaving the ring
All the fans and media who came out today to watch former WBC heavyweight champion Fury’s workout were left with very little to see as he restrained his movement and demeanor.
From Fury’s point of view, it’s understandable that he didn’t want to waste energy working or give something away that Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) could pick up.
Fury is approaching 37, and he can’t afford to use up his precious energy during the workout because he’ll need everything he has to move his big 6’9″ frame around the ring Saturday night at the Kingdom Arena.
Silent treatment
It’s a sign of an older fighter when they conserve their energy during the final public workouts the week of their fights. Younger fighters use the time to work hard, impress the fans and media and stay lean.
Fury looked hackneyed and used up this week, after recovering from a tough training camp and a bad beating in his loss to Usyk last May. That fight took a lot of anger, leaving him in the ravaged physical state we saw this week.
“A lot of pain,” Tyson Fury said when asked after today’s public workout what fans can expect for his fight against Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night. “Torn and damaged.”
“Very sore,” Fury said when DAZN’s Claudia Trejo asked if he planned to be clean-shaven for Saturday. “Hurt, serious hurt. A lot of damage.”
During the interview, she wanted more from Fury, but wasn’t willing to give it. At that moment he almost childish looking. It was hard to watch that interview without feeling sorry for Trejo.
Fury couldn’t even bring himself to speak. You can also read it as a sign that he wants to save his precious energy for the fight, because even talking uses up fuel. When you need every ounce of power, talking can take too much out of Fury. From looking at the minimalistic approach to the training session and the interview, you can now see that the loss of Usyk Fury hit deep.
Fury didn’t just wipe it off like he said. He was mortally wounded, as a shell-shocked soldier returning from the front lines, unable to forget what had happened and upset that he had not given more of himself during the battle. This is far worse than a soldier mentally dealing with battle fatigue from shelling out. It’s the ones who know they should have done more, but they let them down.
Serious Like a Monk
“I see a completely different Tyson Fury. He’s not playing anymore. We don’t see him smiling. This guy probably did his homework,” Usyk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk, said of Tyson Fury while watching him during his public workt in the ring today.
“He probably realized it wasn’t the best idea to spoil, spend his energy with the media and make fun of his training camp. This time he kept it serious like a monk,” Krassyuk said of Fury. “He will most likely try to make some corrections in his technique and tactics.
“I expect it to be a much more dramatic fight than the first one. Oleksandr Usyk was always under his skin. Tyson tried to do it with Oleksandr, but he had an advantage. He doesn’t speak English fluently. We have a saying in Ukraine. “The bigger the wardrobe, the louder the noise when it falls.”
