BACK INTO THE FIRE
“I wonder how much that first fight took out of both of them,” said BoxingScene’s Tris Dixon. “Usyk’s high amateur mileage will likely catch up to him at some point in the near future, the same way Fury’s fast living might catch up with him.” L ike Max Schmeling before his first fight with Joe Louis, Usyk “saw something” he believes he can take advantage of in the return bout. “From the last fight with Tyson Fury, I learned a lot about him, a lot of things I saw in the fight I didn’t see on TV,” said Usyk, flaunting his gap-tooth smile.
You never know. It might be The Gypsy King’s turn this time. I doubt he will be the betting favorite, but when Fury calls himself “a special fighter,” he’s not wrong. And special fighters do special things. Right? Without the ninth-round beatdown, he probably would have won. But “probably” has never won a fight. It’s been said that a great fighter usually has one final great fight left in him. Maybe the rematch with Usyk will be Fury’s. Maybe The Gypsy King has already had his. If Usyk has a weakness, it’s body punches. When Daniel Dubois knocked
puncher like Deontay Wilder is different from a prolonged whipping by a fighter like Usyk. A one-punch knockdown or knockout is over swiftly, but punch after punch for an extended period can be a career-killer. A fter 36 pro fights, there’s a strong possibility that the 36-year- old Fury is not the fighter he used to be. Usyk was the first elite-level opponent he’s fought since the final Deontay Wilder thriller in October 2021. Fury’s three opponents after the Wilder trilogy were Dillian Whyte, Derek Chisora and Francis Ngannou, an MMA fighter.
him down, referee Luis Pabon blew the call. It wasn’t a low blow; the punch landed on the waistband, and judging by the agony on Oleksandr’s face, it was a doozy. When Usyk stood up and indicated he was ready to continue, for some perplexing reason Pabon wouldn’t let him. This happened several times before the ref allowed the fight to resume, giving Usyk extra time to recover, even if he didn’t want it. We
In roughly the same time span, Usyk came off the floor to knock out Daniel Dubois and won two 12-rounders with Anthony Joshua, the first unanimous and the second a split. Compare that schedule to The Gypsy King’s coronation at Wembley against shopworn Whyte, his sloppy torture of Chisora in Tottenham and a survival test against a bloke having his very first boxing match.
will never know what would have happened if Pabon had made the correct call. It would be stupid to demean Usyk’s ability to endure body shots. He clearly can, and what happened in his fight with Dubois was probably a one-off. It’s just that sometimes you get a hunch you can’t shake. “I love the rematch,” said Dixon. “It’s clear they are the two best in the world and probably the two best of this era.” U.K. boxing writer James Slater won’t be satisfied until both fighters are in the ring and the opening bell sounds. “While I do hope there is no last-minute pull-out by Fury,” said Slater, “this is a real possibility.” Perish the thought. We all want to see the Usyk-Fury rivalry convincingly settled, preferably by knockout.
The lack of a meaningful fight in three years did wonders for Fury’s bank balance and ego. It is also part of the reason why he lost. Had Fury fought at least one legitimate contender – Michael Hunter, maybe – it would have kept him sharp and better prepared to tackle a boxer of Usyk’s caliber. Top Rank President Todd DuBoef also thought Tyson’s self-esteem got in the way of victory. “In those middle rounds it felt like Fury was just teeing off on [Usyk], and I think he just got a little lackadaisical and confident.” DuBoef told Sky Sports. “I think he learned a lesson, and it was a hard lesson. I think [Fury’s] personality, the way he is in the ring, is just his character. But I think he's not going to take things for granted [in the rematch]. But I also believe that [Usyk] is going to be better this time, because he has more confidence.”
Fury was more introspective. “It was a close fight, you know. I thought I did enough, but I can’t judge a fight while I’m boxing it,” he said. “I don’t think I could have done any better. Maybe if someone said before the last round, ‘You are down, go out and finish it,’ I would have done it. But everybody in the corner believed we were up. I tried me best and it was what it was. I can’t complain about it. We are not young kids anymore. We’re at the end of our careers.” He uttered the last two sentences matter-of-factly. A weary warrior speaking the truth and acknowledging that the end is near. Many rematches are won by the boxer who prevailed in the first bout, and Usyk is certain he’s going to do likewise. First time around, the Ukrainian won because he was a penny smarter.
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