Former heavyweight champ Tyson Fury has dropped a strong hint that he will hit the scale at a significantly heavier weight for his December 21 return fight with the only man to have beaten him in the pro ranks – Oleksandr Usyk. Fury, who came in at 262 pounds for the May fight with Usyk (who, incidentally, came in a fraction above 223 pounds), has taken to social media to state that, although he was in great shape for the May fight that saw him take a real hammering in round nine before going down a loser on points, he was “not the Gypsy King.”
But Fury suggests he will bulk up for the rematch, as he did for his second fight with Deontay Wilder (Fury tipping in at 273 pounds), and that he will be a “bruiser” when he faces Usyk again.
“Was in the shape of my life, but this is not the Gypsy King,” Fury wrote on social media, with a photo of himself that was taken prior to the May fight with Usyk.
Before Fury posted a second photo of himself from a previous fight, where he weighed a fair amount more:
“This is him, 19st 11lbs (277 pounds), bruiser,” Fury wrote.
So, will Fury come in at something around 275 to 277 pounds for the Usyk rematch, and if so, will it help him and his chances of winning? If Fury does scale around 275 pounds in December, he will possibly have something like 50 pounds over Usyk. A fan could think that the man who weighs 50 pounds heavier than the other guy, who is a former middleweight at the amateur level and a former cruiserweight world champ, will absolutely win.
But there is, of course, way more to a fight than the respective weights of the two men in the ring. Usyk, faster, sharper, and, you could argue, cleverer than Fury, found a way to win in the first fight, and plenty of us feel the southpaw will do so again in the rematch.
Fury has said that he aims to come out fast, as well as heavy, that he aims to take it out of the hands of the judges this time. If Usyk gets tagged with a hard shot, or shots early, it will be interesting to see what happens. It’s a fascinating rematch, and Usyk and Fury each have their supporters, their believers, who are certain they will get the win a few days before Christmas.
Who are YOU picking in the sequel?
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