Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) has activated his rematch clause to face undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) in an immediate rematch.
The Joshua Fight Guarantee: Fury’s Safety Net
The Gypsy King has a safety net in place, which is perhaps why he’s choosing to risk fighting Usyk again. Fury’s promoter, Bob Arum, confirms that the Joshua fight will happen regardless, even if Usyk beats the Gypsy King again.
With the AJ fight guaranteed no matter what, I can see why Fury is willing to fight Usyk again. It’s a nice payday, and who knows, maybe he’ll get lucky with the scoring. Fury will be the A-side again, so if it’s close, you must believe Fury will win.
Promoter Bob Arum told TalkSport Boxing, “That fight will take place either at the end of this year or the beginning of next year in Riyadh.”
Last Saturday night, unified heavyweight champion Usyk beat WBC champ Fury by a 12-round split decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by the scores: 115-112, 114-113 for Usyk, and 114-113 for Fury.
Financial Incentive and a Quest for Redemption
With the money that Fury is getting for the rematch with the 75/25 split, you can understand why he’s choosing to fight Usyk again. Fury’s pride is taking control, and he can’t walk away from the loss without trying to redeem himself.
Before losing to Usyk, Fury had dodged defeat at least five times in his career in fights that he arguably should have lost in these contests:
– Francis Ngannou
– Deontay Wilder x 2: 1st & 3rd fights
– Otto Wallin
– John McDermott: *First fight
Last Saturday, Fury’s luck finally ran out, and Usyk was dominating him and coming close to knocking him out in the ninth.
Usyk’s Knockout Intent
Usyk will undoubtedly be training to knock Fury out in the rematch and won’t want to take any chances with the judges.
Hopefully, the referee doesn’t step in and start giving standing eight counts to Fury when he’s on the verge of being knocked out by Usyk because he has a habit of fighting off the ropes and leaning on them to avoid taking headshots.
If the referee is going to give Fury standing eight counts each time he’s in trouble, it could prove impossible for Uysk to knock him out unless he poleaxes him, as Deontay Wilder did in their first fight.
If you remember that fight, the referee surprisingly gave a count to Fury while he was unconscious on the canvas. What in the world was that all about?
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