Andy Lee has vowed that the uncertainty that defined Tyson Fury’s corner on the night of his defeat by Oleksandr Usyk will be replaced by clarity throughout their rematch on December 21.
Fury’s training team of Sugahill Steward and Andy Lee were joined, on fight night at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by Fury’s outspoken father John, contributing to conflicting messages being relayed during the difficult second half of May’s fight for the undisputed heavyweight title.
For some of the most testing rounds of his career, Fury, who was almost stopped by Usyk in the ninth, was perhaps uncertain about whether he ought to have been chasing victory or attempting to survive, potentially leading to his post-fight assertion that Usyk had wrongly been awarded victory because of the sympathy that exists as a consequence of Russia’s murderous invasion of Ukraine.
In retirement Lee has proven a promising trainer through his work with Joseph Parker, and after Fury resisted suggestions he needed to change his corner ahead of the rematch that could transform his career, Lee has recognised that it is Steward’s voice that will have to be heard above all else.
He also believes that more influential on fight night was the reality that Fury’s preparations had been undermined by a cut suffered for an earlier fight date that forced a postponement until May and that prevented him from sparring as consistently as he typically would have.
If Fury is better prepared for the rematch at the same venue, according to his assistant trainer and cousin (?) he retains what is required to become the first to defeat the X-year-old Usyk in their fight for the WBC, WBA and WBO titles.
“There was a lot of voices in the corner – we were in a dire situation, and had to get him back to himself,” Lee told BoxingScene. “Pull him out of it.
“I was told, and I believed, he was two rounds down, so I had to speak up about that. His dad was giving him great advice, I thought, but he’s also a dad, and that’s his son. ‘Suga’ should have been the only voice, and he will be the only voice in the next fight.
“When you lose, you’re open to criticism.
“But it shows Tyson trusts his team – that he doesn’t want to change. A lot of guys would have looked for an excuse – blamed it on the team – but he’s not changing his team. Hopefully it works out for him.
“He’s pragmatic about [losing for the first time]. It was very close, the first fight. ‘I’ve got to be better; I’ve got to concentrate more, and I’ll win the rematch.’ It is as simple as that, really. Obviously it’s not as simple as that doing it – but saying it, it is.
“Suga should always be the only voice, really. But we’ve all got these relationships with Tyson – this is his dad, and it’s his son, and he’s going to say what he feels his son should do. No one’s going to stop a dad from advising his son, in the biggest fight of his career. We might all be talking again, at some stage – who knows what will happen? But there’s been no conversation about it [to resolve what happened previously]. Me and Suga talked about it. I said, ‘Suga, I’m sorry, but I had to speak up during those last two rounds – I thought he was down on the cards, so I thought he had to win rounds’, and Suga said, ‘Andy, it’s okay’.
“If someone tells me, and I believe them, that he’s down on the cards, I’ll have to tell him, because you’re duty bound – honour bound. When you’re in a fight that close you don’t know how it’s going [when you’re the one fighting]. But if you’re unequivocally down on the cards – you need a knockout or to win those last rounds – you should be told.
“My confidence has taken a knock, I would say that. But I believe in Tyson. If anyone can turn this around, it would be him, because he’s an incredible fighter; incredible person. He’s overcome so much that this isn’t even the biggest battle he’s ever faced. He’s probably had harder fights – bigger challenges in boxing, and he’s had much bigger challenges in life – so this will be nothing for him.
“He needs to be fitter. He probably needs to be heavier. He couldn’t be fitter for the first one, because he had a cut eye; he couldn’t spar. He will be better in the rematch if he doesn’t get cut or injured. But is he on the decline? Is he getting too old? Or does he just need to get fitter?
“I want to see Tyson in training – in camp – sparring; going through the rounds; doing 10 rounds regularly in sparring. Then my confidence will build as we go through the camp. That’s how you gain in confidence – from training. Training hard; pushing yourself; going to the depths. That’s where it’s built.”
The X-year-old Fury and Usyk will not again contest the IBF title because it was stripped from Usyk so that Daniel Dubois could be installed as champion before Dubois stopped Anthony Joshua in front of Fury in September.
Joshua’s defeat that night – he was previously considered on course to fight Fury in 2025 – has made victory even more essential for Fury in December for a fight that ultimately has less historic significance, but Lee also explained that regardless of what is at stake for Fury, he appears to have put the disappointment of defeat behind him and that there is a belief that while Fury can considerably improve for their rematch, Usyk cannot.
“I think [not being able to consistently spar] made a huge difference, because you saw, come round nine he was gassed,” Lee continued. “When you spar, you build your fitness – you can do all your punching; all the training; all the pads; all the running you want. Until you spar, you’re not fit. It’s a different fitness. Boxing fitness is different. That was a huge hindrance to him, not being able to spar.
“He didn’t want to pull out, not just because of the money [the millions he was at risk of being fined], but because of pride, as well. He cancelled the fight once and it was a massive decision. He wanted it to go ahead – the fight, with the cut – but he took advice, and rescheduled the fight. It wasn’t because of the money though – it was just pride, because he didn’t want, ‘He’s running away from Usyk’.
“[The defeat] was the way it had to be. You just become philosophical about it. The cut had to happen, and he had to take the fight and go ahead with it under the circumstances. But it makes a nice little story for the rematch. If he has a full camp he’ll be a lot better. It’s a nice character arc for him. All of the trials and tribulations in and out of the ring – overcoming those; becoming the greatest heavyweight of the last however many years; suffering his only loss and then coming back and defeating the only guy who beat him. It’s a great story. It’s already a great story, Tyson Fury, but it’s going to be even better when he wins.
“I don’t know if privately he’s different, but to me, he’s just said, ‘Andy – I lost; it was a close fight; I know what I have to do in the rematch, and I’ll win’. He’s brushed it off, and he’s fortunate to be in the position he is. He’s got an immediate rematch and he’s got a chance to set the record straight. But it doesn’t seem to have affected him at all.
“He needs to be fitter. He needs to be able to concentrate for longer. No breaks; don’t need to take breaks [mid-fight]. He needs to push Usyk back. Usyk was very dominant on the forward foot. Tyson needs to push him back.
“Both of them are enigmas. Usyk was extremely good in the first fight, but how much better can he be? I’m not sure. How much better can Tyson Fury be? I know he can be a lot better. I think Usyk will be better, but I’m not sure how much more. I know Tyson will be a lot better.”
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