By: Sean Crose
“I know he’s a very smart fighter,” Oleksandr Usyk said of arch rival Tyson Fury on TNT Sports, “and recovers very fast.” The WBC and WBO heavyweight champion knows that which of she speaks. Usyk fought his way to a a very close decision win against the then-undefeated Fury back in May of this year. It was a back and forth fight, entertaining as heavyweight championship bouts go, and the rematch next month is rightfully well anticipated. In fact, it’s difficult to pick one or the other fighters to win walking in. The two fighters are quite equally matched.
Fury, whose a master of promotion, recently posted a video to social media. “Four weeks to go til the biggest fight of the year,” he told the camera, “the biggest fight in boxing, me and Usyk and I’m coming in hot. I’m coming in HOT! Can’t wait. Twenty first of December, the belts are going to be mine again.” For a man who suffered his first loss six months ago, Fury is exuding a large amount of confidence. Then again, the first battle between he and Usyk was far from a blowout. Again, this rematch is a very evenly matched pairing.
Unlike Fury, Usyk himself likes to generally keep things close to the chest. Aside from Terence Crawford, Usyk is the single most serious minded combatant in professional boxing. Not that Fury doesn’t take fighting seriously himself, he simply enjoys being comical and over the top at times. Usyk enjoys being comical, too – but his overall bearing is that of a consummate professional. The same can be said of Usyk’s disciplined and impressive ring performances. One never gets the sense during an Usyk fight that the undefeated champion is leaving a single thing to chance. The guy is never without a plan.
Fury, on the other hand, is apt to be in possession of at least two plans. Strange for a man as towering as Fury is, the Englishman can fight both aggressively as well as defensively. As Deontay Wilder can attest, Fury can change styles from one fight to the next. Fury was more boxer than pitbull during the first fight with Usyk. That might not end up being the case in the rematch next month. As Usyk himself says, Fury is a “very smart fighter.” Yet there’s no doubt Usyk will be ready for whatever version of Fury shows up in December – or it least he’ll be as ready as possible. One never knows how things will work out in a Tyson Fury fight.
