Tyson Fury, sporting a lumberjack-like appearance, arrived for the press conference on December 21 for his rematch against the WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) appeared subdued, his former smug demeanor erased by his recent loss to Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) on May 18.
Fans are already predicting a crushing defeat for Tyson, and believe that Usyk will knock him out in their clash in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It’s hard to argue with them, because after the last fight, Usyk knows exactly what he needs to do to knock Fury out by overwhelming him with punches, as he did in the ninth round.
Tyson was saved from a knockout by the referee when he shoved Usyk away just as he was able to finish off the battered Gypsy King, giving him a standing eight count. The chance of this happening again is slim, because the referee will not want to receive criticism like the one who worked in the first fight.
Fury cannot afford to lose
It is believed that the 36-year-old Fury will come in heavier for the rematch as he believes he was at his best when he weighed 273lbs for his second fight against Deontay Wilder in February 2020. The difference is Usyk is not Wilder. , and Fury is no longer 31 years old.
Everything is different in this fight. Usyk has real talent, and he won’t be dampened by the jabs and jabs that Fury used to defeat Wilder that night. Fury did try to lean on Usyk during their previous fight, but he roughly shoved him away each time, making it clear that he wasn’t going to allow him to use those dirty tactics to cheat his way to victory.
Fury knows what’s at stake for the rematch. He can’t get the tar out of him a second time by Usyk if he wants to keep his popularity high and boxing fans excited to see him face Anthony Joshua in 2025.
Looking for revenge 😤 @Tyson_Fury #UsykFury2 | #Riyadh Season | December 21, live on DAZN | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/HQuilRMTp6
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) October 23, 2024
