THE CHALLENGER WHO STILL BELIEVES HE’S CHAMPION
IN MAY, TYSON FURY LOST FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER WHEN HE SUFFERED A NARROW POINTS LOSS TO OLEKSANDR USYK. NOW, AHEAD OF THEIR COLOSSAL REMATCH, “THE GYPSY KING” PROMISES A VERY DIFFERENT APPROACH TO BUSINESS By Tom Gray
F ormer two-time heavyweight champion Tyson Fury owes much of his success to being a nonconformist. Many said he wouldn’t become heavyweight champion, and he did. No fighter had survived a flush right-hand knockdown from Deontay Wilder, and he did. Everyone said Fury couldn’t regain the championship following a two-year layoff that saw him balloon up to 400 pounds, and he did. It therefore comes as no surprise that Fury remains a nonconformist after suffering the first loss of a 16-year professional career. Most fans and experts believe that Oleksandr Usyk edged Fury in Riyadh on May 18 in the first undisputed heavyweight championship bout for almost a quarter of a century. It was an exceptional fight and both men fought brilliantly, but it was Usyk who exited the Kingdom Arena with all the gold. Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) has scored the fight innumerable times and does not agree with the judges or anyone else who believes that The Gypsy King deserved to be dethroned. And this is not a case of fighter ego. In an interview that lasted close to 40 minutes, the enigmatic Englishman couldn’t have been more resolute in his opinions of the scoring. I looked for signs of bluff and found none. Is Fury fooling himself? That remains to be seen when he squares off with Usyk again at the very same venue on December 21. Boxing politics have dictated that the rematch
is not for the undisputed title, with the IBF finding a way to make a champion out of Daniel Dubois, whom Usyk defeated last year. Politics be damned – Usyk vs. Fury 2 is for the heavyweight championship of the world. Having scored narrowly for Usyk from ringside, my instincts had told me that the brilliant Ukrainian southpaw would start as a big favorite in the rematch. However, after speaking with Fury at length, I came away a lot less convinced. In the 10 years of conducting interviews with him, I’ve never seen The Gypsy King as boisterous or as confident. Already in serviceable shape in early October, Fury was looking forward to coach SugarHill Steward arriving in Morecambe for hard training. “Sugar comes over in the next couple of weeks and we’ll start the physical boxing side, then with the sparring partners,” Fury told The Ring. “I read an article recently: ‘Tyson Fury hasn’t started training yet.’ When… ever… would I start training for a fight three months before it? It’s not like I’ve been out of the ring for two years. I’m match-fit. I’m coming off a 10-rounder and a 12-rounder. I need about four weeks of sparring, a bit of sharpening up, and I’ll be ready to rock- n-roll.” The Ring caught up with boxing’s ultimate nonconformist, who offered his views on the first Usyk fight and his brutal plans for the money-spinning rematch.
Illustration by Chris Wormell
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