Today is the day when Oleksandr Usyk cements himself as one of the greatest of all time or when Tyson Fury avenges his only loss and recaptures his heavyweight throne. Both know what’s at stake and the importance of today’s match.
Fury’s demeanor is different for this match; he looks laser-focused and has taken a different approach in his interactions with Usyk. At Thursday’s press conference, Fury verbally attacked Usyk with personal insults. This could be an attempt to anger the Ukrainian into a firefight. Fury’s strategy for this match could be similar to what he did in the second Deontay Wilder match, whereby he chose to weigh in heavier at 273 pounds. In that second match, he employed a pressured attack that surprised Wilder, dropping him multiple times and ultimately stopping him in the 7th round.
Anthony Joshua fought Oleksandr Usyk twice, and it was in the 9th round of their rematch that he found the most success, landing an astonishing 28 punches. In that round, he utilized effective pressure and placed Usyk on his back foot. Usyk, however, being the master tactician, made the necessary adjustments in the following round and outboxed Joshua, landing a match-high 39 punches in the 10th.
It’s going to take something truly special to beat Usyk. His control of angles, elusive movement, and his ability to make in-fight adjustments make it extremely difficult for opponents to be truly effective against him. His known weakness is his body, and many have found limited success in landing clean punches to his midsection. None more so than Daniel Dubois, who landed a devasting punch on Usyk’s beltline that sent him to the canvas. The punch was controversially scored as a low blow by the referee, but many believe it was legal. Be that as it may Dubois was successful in landing several body punches throughout the match.
At yesterday’s weigh-in, Fury came in at 281 pounds, which is equal to Usyk’s 226. The 55-pound difference will be to be bigger and stronger, to apply pressure, and to bully Usyk on the inside. In the first match Fury was effective early by landing several right uppercuts, the one he landed in the 6th round stunned Usyk and caused some serious damage causing him to be seriously shaken, leading to the famous image of Usyk kissing his crucifix. Fury will seek to duplicate this effort and punish him.
To be truly effective, he must outsmart Usyk, which is no easy task. He must be unpredictable by boxing at both short and long range. Giving Usyk various looks and attacking from different angles. Usyk is great at adjusting, and if Fury becomes predictable or repetitive, Usyk will change tactically. Fury must control the distance; he did not do a good job of it in the first match and suffered because of it. He has a 7-inch reach advantage and must utilize his jab when he is at distance. He must do so heavily and throw it at a higher rate than he did in the first match. He had limited success, landing 62 jabs. He must keep Usyk at bay and not allow
him to come in on the inside until he’s ready to counter him. Fury must also heavily target the body as an effective body attack will slow Usyk down. The biggest question is, can Fury go the distance with the added weight? If he’s unable to slow Usyk down, he may find himself struggling to defend. The first match was won by a narrow margin, with Usyk winning by split decision. With judges scoring it 115-112, 114-113 for Usyk and 114-113 for Fury. The outcome of this match may end differently as Fury’s out-of-the-ring adjustments are already visible. His focus, weight, and demeanor show he will be much more aggressive in this match. The showboating and playfulness he demonstrated in the first match will be minimized, and instead, he will spend his energy on seriously hurting Usyk. Usyk must survive the early storm and make the necessary adjustments to survive Fury’s pressure. The rematch should be just as great as the first one.
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