Eddie Hearn says Tyson Fury will need to be more aggressive and take the fight to unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk to have a chance of winning their December 21 rematch.
Hearn’s fighter, Anthony Joshua, has twice failed to beat Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs), so he’s not exactly sure what will work against the talented Ukrainian fighter.
Matchroom boss Hearn wants Fury to win but is helpless to give him any useful advice as he is 0-2 against him. Hearn knows it probably won’t end well for Fury. He is an old 36, and all the things he needs to win, he does not possess physically. Fury needs the Fountain of Youth something badly to win.
All he knows is that what Fury tried the last time they fought on May 18 was ineffective, and he was nearly knocked out in a 12-round split decision loss.
Strategies for Fury
- Use aggression
- Roughhouse tactics
- Stay in the center of the ring
- Movement
- Throw body shots
Many of the things Fury can try require energy and youth that he no longer has going for him. He has shown that his legs are gone at 36, and he is physically unable to move like he did in 2015 when he scored a career-best victory over Wladimir Klitschko.
“The one thing Usyk is amazing at is attributing the data during the fight and putting together a game plan to overcome that style, that tactic, whatever,” Eddie Hearn said. iFL TV about Oleksandr Usyk being tough to beat in his rematch with Tyson Fury.
What Usyk used last time to defeat Fury was pretty simple. He used a lot of up-and-down points and body shots and then took over the fight in the eighth round when the Gypsy King gassed out.
Hearn has “no idea” how anger can win
“The 6’3″, 15-stone guy walked down and beat a 6’9″, 20-stone Tyson Fury. I think it understated what he actually did in that fight because that’s not really his style. I do feel that Tyson needs to be more aggressive in the fight, but it’s actually going to suit Oleksandr Usyk,” Hearn said.
Fury has to decide whether to fight down the ropes or keep going, looking for Usyk with his size. He’s not going to be able to knock Usyk out like he did against Deontay Wilder in fights #2 and #3. It’s not going to work. If Fury goes forward and wants to catch Usyk with a big uppercut, he might get lucky and knock him out. Throwing to the body would be the best bet, but he would leave himself open using that approach
“I have no idea how to beat him, but Tyson Fury is a very smart fighter,” Hearn said. “He’s got smart people in the corner, but also, from an IQ level in boxing, he’s right up there. Unfortunately, so is Oleksandr Usyk. So, my money, especially when he won the first fight, will always be on Oleksandr Usyk.
“My heart wants to see a Tyson Fury win. Not just because he’s British, but also because I want to set up the AJ fight. I would love to see him do it, but I do see him as the underdog in this fight,” Hearn said.
I can imagine how Hearn must feel to see Fury lose for the second time knowing that once he does it will destroy the money for a clash with Joshua. Hearn is powerless to help Fury. How can one drowning man save another? Hearn’s fighter, Joshua, has his own problems, and he’s doing everything he can to keep his faltering career going.
Hearn just keeps Joshua inactive, steers him away from a rematch with Daniel Dubois, and has his way with the outcome of the Fury-Usyk II rematch.
