Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury are set to face off in a big rematch this week in Riyadh. The heavyweight champion Usyk will defend his WBC, WBO, and WBA titles against “The Gypsy King” Fury.
Their first encounter in May went the full twelve rounds. Usyk came out on top with a split decision win, handing Fury his first professional loss. The Ukrainian hurt Fury badly at one point, leading to a standing count.
Fury has said he won’t lose focus this time around, believing that’s what cost him in their first fight. Usyk plans to use the same calculated pressure that got him the win before.
Terence Crawford, a pound-for-pound superstar and four-weight world champion, shared his thoughts on the rematch in an interview. Crawford picked Usyk to win the first time but thinks this fight will be closer.
“I know the first time, the first fight I picked Usyk, and, you know, Usyk’s a good friend of mine, Tyson’s a good friend as well but not as close as me and Usyk. I think it’s going to be an exciting fight again. I think Tyson Fury is going to go to the drawing board, try to pick up where he left off. Make the adjustments earlier than he did in the first fight. I don’t think he got overconfident; I just think Tyson went through a lot in his personal life, and I just think him training, the fight being postponed, that all plays a factor. I think this fight is going to be more competitive. I just think Tyson Fury going to come in with a different game plan like he did with Deontay Wilder.”
Crawford believes Fury can turn things around. He thinks Fury will use what he learned from the first fight to make big changes to his approach.
The boxing world is split on how the fight will go. Some think Usyk will repeat his win, while others believe Fury will come back stronger. Either way, it’s sure to be an exciting match with a lot on the line.
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