Former cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson views Tyson Fury’s loss to Oleksandr Usyk last Saturday night as a further sign of the Gypsy King’s physical decline.
Fury’s deterioration was exposed in his previous fight by 37-year-old Francis Ngannou, who, as Nelson points out, “beat up” the 35-year-old Fury.
Some fans refused to believe that Fury was showing signs of age and ring deterioration. They blamed his performance on his weight and his lack of taking his opponent seriously.
Key Factors in Fury’s Loss
- Deteriorating Physicality
- Age and Wear
- Defensive Vulnerability
Unfortunately, after Fury went through two training camps for his fight with the much smaller former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs), his terrible performance in losing a 12-round split decision, it’s now clear that he’s deteriorated.
Most would agree that Fury should have been knocked out by Usyk in the ninth, and he should have lost his last fight against a novice. It’s so obvious that Fury is shot.
Fury’s Waning Physicality
“Number one, his legs are gone, and his resistance has started to tip out. It happens to every fighter,” said Johnny Nelson to Secondsout when asked how Oleksandr Usyk was able to hurt Tyson Fury.
It’s not just Fury’s legs that are gone. His punch resistance and his hand speed have deteriorated as well. He’s slow, fat, can’t hurt a fly, and his chin is made of glass now. If the referee hadn’t interrupted Usyk when he was pummeling Fury in the ninth, the fight would have ended in that round.
“You’re resistance starts to go, and your footwork starts to be a little off key. Usyk hit Fury, and he was like a packet of spaghetti. The referee saved him in the [ninth] round, and he was hurt,” said Nelson.
“The 37-year-old older man [Usyk] beat up the [slightly] younger man, Tyson Fury, and got the job done.”
Ngannou dominated Fury, beating him with his left hook, and knocking him down. The judges saved Fury at the same venue as last night’s match, but he clearly lost that fight.
“Yeah, he saved him. Usyk was chasing him across the ring. He pinned him down and the ropes were holding him up,” said Nelson when asked if the referee saved Fury in the ninth. “The referee did give him an eight count, but that was a long eight count, but the referee did save him.”
It doesn’t matter now. The fans saw what the referee did, and realize now that Fury was knocked out. It makes Fury look worse that the referee had to save him, and it obviously doesn’t make the ref look good either.
Fury’s Path to Redemption
“Fury needs to jump on him from round one to round twelve,” said Nelson when asked what Fury must do to change the outcome in a rematch with Usyk.
It sounds good what Nelson says, but Fury is incapable of jumping on Usyk or any fighter from round one. He’s lost too much from his game, lacks the speed, stamina and the punch resistance.
When Fury did attack Usyk, he was getting countered and getting hit a lot more. That’s one of the reasons why Fury fought off his back foot, trying to box. He couldn’t attack Usyk because he was getting picked apart.
“What he needs to change is his offensive fighting skills. He’s got to put it on him. He’s got to fight him with the same intent and bullishness as he did Wilder in the second fight.”
The Fury that beat Deontay Wilder in 2020 in the second fight no longer exists. That was when Fury was 31, and younger than he is now.
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