USYK VS. FURY REMATCH: REPEAT OR REVENGE?
RING OF FIRE – THE FIRST FIGHT
bout. He commanded the fifth and sixth rounds, nearly doubling Usyk in total punches landed (42 to 22). It was clearly his best sequence of the fight. Fury was able to catch Usyk with right uppercuts when the Ukrainian tried to get inside, landing them often and with authority. And despite being the much taller man, Fury connected on 46 body punches against Usyk, who has shown a vulnerability to such blows in the past (the most controversial example being the beltline shot he took from Dubois in August 2023). When he shot the uppercut or went to the body, the Brit was at his most accurate. Yet the biggest factor in Fury’s success during those middle rounds was that he came forward. Every time Fury backed up, Usyk seemed to win the exchanges. However, when Fury became the bully, he mostly had his way. In the rematch, Fury must “be the boss” in there, much like he was in recent fights with Wilder, Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora. Perhaps that means packing on a few pounds. THE WEIGHT FACTOR After settling for a draw in his first bout with Wilder in 2018, where he weighed a relatively low 256 pounds and fought mostly on the back foot, Fury came into their rematch weighing a bulky 273 pounds. He pushed Wilder backward from the opening bell and dominated the affair, dropping the American twice before stopping him in the seventh round. Most still consider it the finest performance of his career. Fury has hinted that he will employ the same strategy in the Usyk rematch. In October, he posted a story on his Instagram account with a photo of himself just before the first bout, where he weighed in at 262 pounds. The caption read, “Was in the shape of my life, but this is not the GK (Gypsy King)”. He followed it up with a photo from his third fight with Deontay Wilder, captioned, “This is him, 19:11lbs (277 pounds), busier.” It is worth noting, Fury is 6-0 in fights where he weighed 270 or more. Of those six bouts, only
in eight of 12 rounds, including the entire second half of the fight. Although most fans and media believed that Usyk had won the fight unanimously (the average fan score on BoxRec.com had him winning 116-111), he had to settle for a split decision victory. Financially, the event generated plenty of money but apparently gave up significant potential income due to illegal streaming. Still, whether they paid for it or not, tens of millions of people watched the fight live. In that sense, Usyk and Fury had managed to break through to the mainstream audience. And on May 29, less than two weeks after the first undisputed heavyweight championship fight in decades, the rematch was set for December 21, right back in Riyadh. From the moment the announcement was made, fans have been sharing their thoughts and predictions on social media. Many feel that Usyk will “finish what he started” and stop Fury in the second fight. Others proclaim that Fury will “Wilder” Usyk this time around, referencing his dominant performance against Deontay Wilder in their 2020 rematch. Either of those outcomes, along with many others, is certainly possible. It’s heavyweight boxing – anything and everything is possible. Both men have had rematches in the past and neither has lost. Barring a draw, however, that’s going to change for one of them this December.
May 18, 2024, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Tyson Fury (WBC) vs. Oleksandr Usyk (Ring, IBF, WBA, WBO) Early on, Usyk appeared to be the sharper fighter. According to CompuBox, he landed 14 power punches in the first two rounds to just five for Fury and was much more accurate in total punching (52 percent to 28 percent). Perhaps feeling a sense of urgency, the Brit stepped it up in the third and fourth. Fury would then dominate the middle of the fight, sweeping Rounds 5 through 7 on all three judges’ scorecards. The bigger man was having his way, pushing the smaller man back, and things were looking good for Fury. Yet even though he was losing rounds, Usyk did plenty of good work himself and was getting closer and closer with his overhand left. In fact, he out- landed Fury in the seventh and appeared to stun him at the end of the round. The Ukrainian southpaw, now clearly behind in the fight, raised his level in the eighth, doubling Fury in punches landed (16 to 8). Suddenly he was the one coming forward and pushing his opponent back. The towering Englishman was now sporting a mouse under his right eye along with a bloody and maybe broken nose. Then, in the ninth round, Usyk landed a flush right- left combo that Fury would never fully recover from. Badly hurt, staggering about, the ropes appeared to hold Fury up multiple times before referee Mark Nelson finally called a knockdown near the end of the round. Many observers felt that Nelson had missed multiple opportunities to call a technical knockdown, but nevertheless, Usyk secured an extra point and it felt like a dead-even fight heading into the 10th. Usyk would go on to control much of the action down the stretch, landing 36 power punches to just 15 for Fury over the final three rounds. From the eighth round on, Usyk out-landed Fury 87 to 50 in total punches (66 to 32 in power punching). Overall, CompuBox credited Usyk with landing more power punches
REIGNITED – THE REMATCH
December 21, 2024, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Oleksandr Usyk (Ring, WBA, WBC, WBO) vs. Tyson Fury So, let’s start with the challenger. What are the keys to victory for Tyson Fury in the rematch? What can he do differently this time around?
KEYS TO VICTORY: TYSON FURY
It is important to remember that Fury had plenty of success in the first
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