Oleksandr Usyk sounded completely unbothered when told today that Tyson Fury had promised “A lot of pain” and “damage” for him in their rematch this Saturday night.
Usyk: “OK”
Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) shrugged his shoulders as if to say, ‘Whatever,’ showing that he’s not worried at all about Fury’s idle threats and that he intends to be the one that is administering “pain” and “damage” in their rematch at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
After what Oleksandr did to Fury in their previous fights, it’s understandable why he’s not sweating it about his bold talk. Tyson will have to do more than talk to worry the two-time undisputed champion Usyk.
Does Fury Need A Rest?
Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) looks like he’s been living a hard life in the last seven months since his 12-round majority decision loss on May 18th. Tyson looks like he’s been living underneath a bridge for the last 214 days since his defeat. He has heavy bags under both wrinkled eyes and a withered, shriveled-up appearance. I’ve never seen someone look that bad in such a short period.
Mentally & physically, he doesn’t look ready for the rematch, but he’s being a trooper by going through with it. You have to respect that, but he could regret it if the outcome is worse than last time.
The former WBC heavyweight champion Fury appears to be pushing himself too hard and needs a long, long rest at health asylums. It’s one of those places where he’s waited on hand and foot, given the best food, massages, and sunlight.
He’ll obviously take a nice vacation after the fight, but if he loses to Usyk by knockout, he may retire. Eddie Hearn mentioned the possibility of Fury retiring if Usyk beats him, and you can’t rule that out.
“Ok,” said Usyk to DAZN, reacting to being told that Tyson Fury said today that he’s bringing “A lot of pain, a lot of hurt, and smash and damage” to him on Saturday.
Looking good and feeling good 👌
Usyk’s response to Tyson Fury promising pain: “OK.” 😅#Usyk2Fury | #RiyadhSeason | Dec 21, live on DAZN | Click link in bio to buy | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/rp5eErD8L2
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 18, 2024
“I thought Usyk looked really good. I’m going for Tyson Fury. I want him to win. I’m channeling my positivity and vibes to him,” said Eddie Hearn to the Stomping Grounds, hoping Tyson Fury defeats Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday. “But how do you pick against Oleksandr Usyk? I’m doing it because I’m being patriotic, but how do you pick against him in this fight?
“If this fight is a classic and Fury wins, it’s very likely we’ll see a trilogy. But you’re also going to be presented with the chance of AJ fighting Fury for the world heavyweight championship, which would be absolutely huge.
“If Fury loses, maybe he never fights again, or maybe he decides to take the AJ fight,” said Hearn. “AJ has one, two, three or four fights left. Fury has one, two, three or four fights left. The same with Usyk.
Post-Fight Scenarios
If Fury wins, Hearn may luck out if he chooses to delay the trilogy match with Usyk and take the fight with Anthony Joshua next. That is the smartest move Fury and his promoters can make because they can’t count on Joshua surviving his next fight without being beaten again.
Joshua is fed up with being put in another rebuild situation, and he’ll walk take on someone good to regain his self-respect after losing to Daniel Dubois on September 21st. That’s the problem. AJ is 35, not young, and his punch resistance appears to be gone after a long career. So, if Fury gets through his fight with Usyk with a win, he needs to persuade his promoters to face Joshua next.
“A lot of those fighters are coming towards the end, but hopefully not because the new crop coming through have talent. But the established names up there have been a great asset to the heavyweight division and boxing on the whole,” said Hearn.
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