Tyson Fury’s trainer, Sugarhill Steward, is gunning for his fighter to knockout Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night.
The Power of Positive Thinking?
Sugarhill wants WBC heavyweight champion Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) to take out the unbeaten but smaller IBF/WBA/WBO champ Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs). He feels Fury can do it by using his jab to set up his power shots.
That’s asking a lot of Fury because he’s never been a big puncher during his 16-year professional career, and he would have to suddenly discover power at the ripe age of 35.
That doesn’t seem likely. Fury’s two knockouts of Deontay Wilder were from rabbit punches to the back of his head. Aside from him, Tyson’s other stoppage wins in the last four years have come against British journeymen Dereck Chisora and Dillian Whyte, who aren’t top-tier fighters.
Playing It Safe: The Only Sensible Option
Fury would be better off trying to box his way to a 12-round decision rather than trying to score a knockout because he would have to take risks to try and KO Usyk. His chin is too fragile from the damage Wilder did to him to take a risk trying to stop Usyk.
Given that Fury is the A-side and is returning to the same venue as his controversial decision over Francis Ngannou last October, it would be wiser for him to play it safe, throw jabs, and clinch to take it the full 12 rounds and hope the judges give him another gift. Yeah, Fury will be seen as the loser, like last time, but I doubt that he’ll care.
Sugarhill Steward’s Confident Prediction
“I have to see it for a stoppage. I’ve trained Tyson for a lot of things, and I expect a lot of things from Usyk. So, he’s well-prepared, and I expect a knockout, period,” said trainer Sugarhill Steward to Matchroom Boxing, predicting a stoppage win for his fighter Tyson Fury against Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night.
“Definitely, it’s important,” said Sugarhill when asked if he’s been training Fury to keep the action at a distance. “The jab is one of the most fundamental things in boxing that people won’t use.
“Even when they get an opponent hurt, they won’t stick with what got them there, and they’ll just start throwing big haymakers, left hooks, and right hands. They forget what setup the power shot was the jab.
“As Tyson said, Oleksandr Usyk has all the credentials. There have been smaller guys moving up from cruiserweight to take over our division, and that’s what Oleksandr Usyk has done so far. Now, it’s time to meet Tyson Fury.
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