Spencer Oliver believes Tyson Fury should use the movement which he had when he defeated Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 when he faced Oleksandr Usyk in their December 21 rematch.
Poor mobility
Fury weighed a lean 247 pounds for his fight with Wladimir on November 28, 2015. He was 27 at the time, still young, and that was before he started having weight problems. After the Gyspy King defeated Klitschko by a 12-round unanimous decision in that fight in Düsseldorf, Germany, his weight balloon to about 400 lbs.
Since then, Fury has never come down close to the 247-lb weight he came in for his fight with Klitschko. It’s safe to say that Fury will NEVER return to that weight without it putting him in the hospital. Once a person takes a hit like Fury did during his 2 1/2 year post-Wladimir fight win streak, you never go back to what you were without looking sick.
One insurmountable obstacle preventing that strategy from working for former WBC heavyweight champion Fury is his weight. Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) was reported to be in the 270s trying to use his size to bully Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) as he successfully did in his rematch with Deontay Wilder on February 22, 2020.
Fury bulked up to 273 lbs for that fight, using grappling and roughhouse tactics to overwhelm the lighter 231-lb Wilder. Tyson enjoyed a 42-lb weight advantage in that fight. However, that is not the reason why he won. Deontay looked confused, unable to adjust to Fury regularly pushing out to grab him in his bear-like hold to engulf him.
Ring IQ deficit
Going heavier against Usyk won’t work nearly as well because he won’t let Fury grab him like Deontay and Wladimir did. Both fighters lacked the ring IQ that Usyk possesses to outwit Fury, who repeatedly did the same thing in those fights.
Usyk is not stupid. He won’t let Fury jump in after throwing a punch, but he won’t move away or catch him with a shot as he comes forward.
“If Tyson Fury can rediscover the movement he had during the 2015 bout against Wladimir Klitschko, rumors are flying that he could come in a lot heavier for this one,” said Spencer Oliver. talkSport Boxing on Fury coming in heavier for the rematch with Usyk on December 21.
“Will it be his downfall to do that? Because if he wants to bully him, I think you are playing into Usyk’s hands.”
Fury’s obstacles to victory against Usyk
– Weight
– Lack of ring IQ
– One dimensional game plan: Mauling
– Poor mobility
– Age
– Fragile mandible: Punch resistance gone
– Stamina issues
– No power
“Use that uppercut he did in the sixth round and pull Usyk in,” Oliver said of what Fury should do against Usyk.
