Is Fury ‘Damaged Goods’ For the Usyk Rematch?

Does the rematch become a repeat or does it stoke revenge?

With Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh announcing Wednesday that Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury II is set for Dec. 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the debate can officially begin over who wins and how.

On Wednesday’s episode of ProBox TV’s “Deep Waters,” analysts and former world champions Timothy Bradley Jr., Paulie Malignaggi and Chris Algieri took turns assessing how the rematch will play out.

In the first bout on May 18, Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) led by three points on two scorecards after seven rounds, only to get rocked and marked in the eighth round and then battered and dropped in the ninth as Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) rallied for a split-decision triumph decided by the final 114-113 scorecard.

That knockdown – following a knockdown in his prior victory over former UFC champion Francis Ngannou and four knockdowns in his three fights with Deontay Wilder – led to a damning indictment by Bradley.

“Tyson Fury is damaged goods,” Bradley said. “He don’t like it on the chin … he doesn’t believe in his chin. His punch resistance has faded. Early in the fight, he got buzzed (by a first-round left) and his eyes rolled. What happens when those counters come?”

Malignaggi wonders if the three fights with Wilder might have “dent the chin,” as Algieri added, “Chins don’t get better with age.”

One solution is for Fury to maintain a safe distance. 

“(Fury’s) got to figure out a way to relax and back Usyk off him – that led to (his) mental drain,” Malignaggi said.

Algieri expressed confidence that the savvy former two-time champion known as “The Gypsy King” will respond with a creative adjustment, suggesting Fury pack on more weight to enjoy a greater benefit from his “physical advantages” of weight, height and reach.

Yet, Bradley believes the 35-year-old must “get his behind on the road … you need those lungs.”

Reporting to the fight fit and boxing on the outside may reverse Fury’s fortune because “the minute Usyk stood his ground, he learned (Fury’s) not disciplined defensively. I think Usyk will make the fight a lot easier.”