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Smart fighters win rematches and that could be a problem for Tyson Fury in late December when he fights Oleksandr Usyk again following last May’s defeat in Riyadh.

It was the great American boxing trainer and guru, Manny Steward, who put forward the idea that in any rematch, the smart boxer, having lost the first fight, will win the second fight. It was one of Steward’s cherished little gems and it is dependent on one of the boxers being smarter than the other – that is the problem for Fury: Usyk is his equal in the boxing brains department.

Steward talked about his theory one night in Las Vegas a few days before Lennox Lewis met Hasim Rahman in their hot rematch; seven months earlier in 2001, Rahman had shocked the boxing world and dropped and stopped Lewis in South Africa. The defeat was stupid, the revenge was clever.

Lewis, who passed on his undisputed champion mantle to Usyk in May, had already changed the result in two rematches before he climbed through the ropes and knocked out Rahman in four rounds at the Mandalay Bay. In 1997, Lewis beat Oliver McCall and two years later in 1999, Lewis outpointed Evander Holyfield. In the Holyfield rematch, Lewis was smarter; in the McCall rematch, Lewis was simply coherent.

Fury has a significant win in a rematch on his record, but it had little to do with being smart, boxing sensibly and being slick; in 2020, two years after their hard draw, Fury walked through Deontay Wilder in seven brutal rounds. It was one of the most outrageous changes in tactics in any rematch ever. Some might claim it was a smart move, a brilliant switch of tactics, but it was so risky. It showed Fury’s ability to stick to a plan and that is something that Usyk must be mindful of when the first bell sounds.

In the second Wilder fight, Fury was a different person, and Wilder had no idea how to deal with the man in front of him. Wilder was saved from his own bravery. Their third fight was just a ridiculous war, and both came close to losing before it finished in the 11th when Fury dropped Wilder for the third time. It was about guts and heart, not boxing brain in that incredible third fight.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk 
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – MAY 18: Oleksandr Usyk punches Tyson Fury during the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO and Undisputed Heavyweight titles’ fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk at Kingdom Arena on May 18, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Usyk also has an important rematch win, but it is possible to argue that his second win over Anthony Joshua was not as clear as his initial victory. In their first fight, outdoors at Tottenham Hotspur in September of 2021, Usyk boxed with sense and caution and won a unanimous decision. The scores were by five, four and two rounds in his favour. On the night, Joshua experimented with a variety of styles and fell short. The fight remains an oddity.

The rematch was just under a year later, in Jeddah, and this time, Joshua made some changes, and it was closer; Usyk won a split decision, but it was not as clear. In all fairness, Usyk just repeated the formula from the first fight and that same approach could be enough when the first bell sounds on December 21 for the Fury rematch – all the pressure is on Fury to change the outcome. The pair will meet in London this week to officially launch their December rematch.

There is a solid case that SugarHill Steward and Andy Lee, the cornerman duo from the second Wilder fight, will get Fury to be more aggressive and go for Usyk from the very first bell. In the months before the Wilder rematch, Lee and Steward had said that their boxer would walk through Wilder with two-fisted aggression; nobody really believed them. The same could happen in Riyadh in December; perhaps, the same should happen in Riyadh.

One of the differences between Wilder and Usyk is that Usyk can adapt; on the night in Las Vegas when Fury charged out and just let his hands go, Wilder was trapped in a web of his own technical shortcomings. Usyk can survive a charge like that, move, hold and use his ringcraft. It’s not simple beating Usyk, but Fury is both big enough and smart enough to apply the right type of pressure. However, Fury is nearly five years older and that matters. It is not an easy fight to predict.

“He’s Crazy” Oleksandr Usyk Is Certain Who Wins Terence Crawford vs Canelo Alvarez Fight

Terence Crawford has made it clear that a fight against Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez is his main motivation left in the sport.

The American pound-for-pound star has been targeting the unified super-middleweight champion ever since his career defining victory over Errol Spence Jr last year

When he failed to lure the Mexican into the ring he stepped up to super-welterweight and won the WBA belt on his debut at the weight class against Israil Madrimov.

The man originally willing to financially back the Canelo clash, Riyadh Season’s Turki Alalshikh, has since removed his interest in making it happen but claimed we may never see ‘Bud’ back in the ring if he can’t land the fight.

“I don’t think Crawford will fight anyone except Canelo.

This is my opinion. This is what I feel, but it is about him. We gave him an offer for [Vergil] Ortiz and I don’t know if he will take it or not. We have an agreement to do a big fight for Ortiz if Crawford doesn’t take the fight … But I don’t think [Crawford] will take it.

RELATED : It is a Scam” Turki Alalshikh Responds To Rumours That Terence Crawford…..

If the match-up can be made, then current unified heavyweight champion and fellow pound-for-pound great Oleksandr Usyk told the 3 Knockdown Rule that he would expect the naturally smaller man to get his hand raised.

“I like Terence. He’s a crazy man.

Terence win. Listen, Terence is different man. Terence works on two sides. Right and left, he’s very smart man. He feels distance and space.”

Terence crawford

“Canelo big, yeah, good boxer, but I say, Terence. Terence can box him like a big guy.”

Whilst fans wait to see what Crawford will do next, Canelo is back in the ring on September 14 against unbeaten fighter Edger Berlanga.

“He Knows It, i will eat him” Retired Heavyweight Champion Says He Would ‘Eat Tyson Fury For Breakfast

Tyson Fury has only ever lost one professional fight so far.

That came back in May when he stepped into the ring with Oleksandr Usyk to compete for all four of the major world titles. It was the first undisputed fight in almost 25 years and saw Fury come out on the wrong side of a points decision after a close contest over 12 rounds.

In December this year, ‘The Gypsy King’ has a chance to avenge the loss and immediately after the first fight spoke of having too much fun in the ring and how he will improve.

His corner came under some fire for mixed messages in the later rounds but he has since confirmed he will stick with the same team second time round.

While he may still be considered one of the best fighters of his generation, former world champion Frank Bruno doesn’t think that makes him an all-time great

He told DAZN that Fury would not have lasted back in his heyday of the 1980s and 1990s.

RELATED : “I Will Not Hide It” Usyk Rates The Power Of Anthony Joshua And Tyson……

“I wish Tyson fury the best but he knows deep down in his heart that if he was around in the days that I was younger I would eat him for dinner and breakfast as well. I’m not going to sit here and disrespect him but we’re talking about the era I’ve been through, he’s living in a different cloud to what cloud I was on.”

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Bruno lived during a time when the likes of Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson were world champions. He fought both Hall of Famers but recently revealed that in fact it was fellow champion James “Bonecrusher” Smith who hit harder than both of them.

“I Will Not Hide It” Usyk Rates The Power Of Anthony Joshua And Tyson Fury After Beating Both

Oleksandr Usyk has beaten five Brits in the last six years, the most notable being Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

After knocking out Tony Bellew in his last cruiserweight fight, the Ukrainian moved up to heavyweight in the hope of becoming undisputed in a second division

He beat Derek Chisora before taking the unified titles from Joshua via unanimous decision and keeping hold of them in the rematch with a split decision.

A stoppage of Daniel Dubois served as his second defence before he scored another split decision win against Fury in their long-awaited undisputed clash.

Speaking at a press conference in his home country following the Joshua bout, Usyk said that one of Joshua’s punches ‘sent him to Elon Musk’ for a while before his fighting focus was re-established.

“There were quite tangible blows. You can see it on my face too. There was a cut when we hit our heads. Then a light blow from his jab broke an eyebrow, which was flooding my right eye with blood.

“I will not hide that there were very sensitive blows to the chin, to the stomach, which sent me to Elon Musk for a while, but I quickly returned. In battle, adrenaline and emotions are so overwhelming that you feel it after the battle – pain, dizziness and everything else. In the ring, you are very focused on your actions.”

Joshua would typically be recognised as the bigger puncher when discussed with Fury, but speaking to the 3 Knockdown Rule podcast Usyk held ‘The Gypsy King’s power in high regard, too – particularly one uppercut.

” I got uppercut you know, it’s like very pain. Hard pain. I feel maybe 10 seconds I say ‘hey, God, thank you, help me.’ I say to myself ‘hey Alex, move, move. If you stop, he’ll kill you.’”

READ MORE : “Dubois Shook Me To My Core When He Hit Me” Anthony Joshua…..

His manager Egis Klimas then added what Usyk said to him about the uppercut after the fight.

oleksandr usyk

“It was such a big pain I can explain only one thing, it felt like my tooth came out.”

What the Ukrainian felt was an old dental implant being impacted rather than the broken jaw Fury had claimed to have inflicted. After taking the best shots from Joshua, Dubois and Fury, Usyk still maintains that it was Chisora who hit him hardest

Will Be Easier To Beat, Oleksandr Usyk Has No Doubt Whether Tyson Fury Will Be Easier Or Harder To Beat In Rematch

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury are set to renew their rivalry in Saudi Arabia in December of this year.

These two modern heavyweight greats put on a superb fight back in May to contest the first undisputed title in almost 25 years.

It was the former Olympic gold medalist and undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk who came out on top after a close fight that was won off the back of one big ninth round for the Ukrainian.

Despite being the naturally smaller man – which is something he was teased for by Fury for many years – Usyk managed to land a power shot that had Fury momentarily in trouble and taking a 10 count.

That led to some rather confused corner work in Fury’s team with mixed instructions being given on how to see the fight out. Despite that, Fury has said he will keep the same team for the rematch.

Ahead of that, Usyk has been speaking to Mail Sport Boxing about whether or not he thinks the second fight will be harder than the first having already admitted that the first fight with Fury was the hardest of his career.

“No, it won’t be easier.

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I think it will be even more difficult. Look, I always set myself up for a hard night, never an easy one. I’m expecting the cosmos that will crush me so only my eyes will see what happening. I get pumped for such things. I don’t think that it will be easier for me, but I don’t need it to be easier. Diamonds cannot be found in easy, because they are not there. You cannot succeed without hard work, everything that is given easily does not grow.”

Anthony joshua

Fury too has promised he will be better than the first time around which makes this rematch one of the most intriguing fights of the year.

Oleksandr Usyk Finally Names Which Fight Was Tougher Between Anthony Joshua And Tyson Fury

Right now, no one can argue that Oleksandr Usyk isn’t the best heavyweight on the planet.

The Ukrainian southpaw has beaten every man he has faced in the banner division, including challenger Daniel Dubois, two-time world champion Anthony Joshua and the former Lineal and WBC king Tyson Fury, who was unbeaten until he stepped into the ring with Usyk.

That was back in May for the historic undisputed championship and the first ever heavyweight contest for all four major belts.

It saw Usyk come out on top despite being the naturally smaller man who just a few years before was also cleaning up at cruiserweight and becoming undisputed in that division.

He and Fury will once again share the ring in December for their contracted rematch, though only the Ring Magazine, Lineal, WBA, WBO and WBC titles will be on the line after the champion was forced to vacate the IBF for not fulfilling his mandatory duties.

READ MORE : “I Fear For Him” Anthony Joshua Makes ‘Worrying’ Mike Tyson-…

Speaking to Mail Sport, Usyk was asked how the fight with Fury compared to all his others, including two battles against Joshua, and he had no doubt that it tops them all.

“First place [the hardest fight]. First in rating for difficulty, passion, emotion, first in everything.”

Anthony joshua

He was then asked how he felt about his mother telling him to retire after the fight.

“My mom tells me that after every fight, she is worried, this is a mum, she is worried, she cries, she is afraid, however there is a way to go. I love her incredibly, this is the closest person to me, I know how much suffering she went through when I was sick or had some problems, how she did not sleep, however I have a mission to complete, I cannot just leave it.”

Should Usyk defend the belts against Fury, he has said there is only one other heavyweight he would be willing to face,

Nobody hit me harder: I fought Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk and Dillian Whyte but nobody hit me harder than journeyman boxer with only 3 KOs

Derek Chisora has shared the ring with several big punchers.

During the course of an iconic career stretching back to 2007, ‘Del Boy’ has boxed the likes of Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte, David Price and Oleksandr Usyk.

But none of them hit as hard as journeyman boxer Paul Butlin.

The 41-fight veteran retired with a record of 16-24-1 with only three wins coming by way of knockout.

Yet Chisora insists Butlin had some serious power in his hands.

“You remember this guy, Paul Butlin. He hit me so hard I thought the referee needed to check his gloves,” he told talkSPORT.com.

“I will never forget when he went boom, boom. And I’m like ‘God man, somebody needs to check this guy’s gloves’.

“I went back to the corner and Don [Charles] (Chisora’s former trainer) told me you need to move, you can’t stand there.

“The guy was strong and he hit me with a body shot and I was like ‘Nah, I need to box this guy’.”

Chisora boxed Butlin twice in the paid ranks, winning both bouts via unanimous decision.

Midway through their second fight, Chisora decided to imitate the now infamous scenes from Mike Tyson’s rematch with Evander Holyfield by biting Butlin’s ear.

He wasn’t disqualified from the contest but did recieve a four month suspension and a £2,500 fine from the Southern Area Council for his actions.

Later in his career, Butlin was knocked out by Anthony Joshua before eventually hanging up his gloves in 2016 following a stoppage defeat to Kash Ali.

A video uploaded to YouTube, which has now amassed 1.4million views, shows a livid camerman hurling abuse at Butlin for delivering a letter to him about an outstanding fine which he refused to pay.

Clearly unaware of who he was talking to, the man threatened to ‘punch the f***’ out of Butlin.

But to the ex-boxer’s credit he remained unfazed and replied: “I’m not here to fight you, I’m not a fighter mate.”

He returns to the ring on Saturday night against Joe Joyce in what will be his tenth apperance at London’s O2 Arena.

READ MORE : ‘Still Has Demons: Heavyweight Rival Says Daniel Dubois ‘Still…..

Chisora insists it will be his last fight at the iconic 20,000-seater.

However, it won’t be his final outing as a professional.

His domestic dust-up with Joyce marks his 48th fight and Chisora is fully intent on making it to 50 bouts before he even contemplates calls time on his career.

Anthony joshua

He added: “It doesn’t matter if you or adoctor, a nurse, a fireman or a policeman, people say ‘oh, you should retire now’.

“Different Levels Now” Usyk’s Team Has  gives one option For Anthony Joshua Trilogy Fight: “Different Levels Now”

Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk have fought 24 rounds together and there’s a possibility to make it 36 before they hang up the gloves.

‘AJ’ put his WBA, WBO and IBF belts on the line against the former undisputed cruiserweight champion in 2021, being thoroughly outboxed to lose for just the second time in his career.

Usyk kept the belts in the immediate rematch despite a more spirited performance from the Brit, and would go on to become undisputed in a second weight-class by beating Tyson Fury this year.

With Joshua now on a four-fight win streak, Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk was recently asked about the potential of a third fight by Boxing King Media.

“Anthony Joshua was talking about the third fight. He’s a great champ. He’s changed a lot since the two fights with Usyk. We’ve seen him going down and see him rising up. It’s also a complicated fight to make. I’ll tell you why – cause now we are on different levels.

The first fight, Usyk was almost no-name and Anthony Joshua was a massive star in the UK. After he beat him twice, Anthony Joshua still remains a massive star here no matter what. So this fight might be something that attracts attention from the whole world.”

After going back and forth on the price-tag his man would deserve for the third fight, Krassyuk settled on a modest number.

“Let’s stay with $200 million.”

Joshua fights for his old belt on September 21 after Usyk vacated, allowing Daniel Dubois to be elevated to Full IBF Champion and put it on the line against his fellow Brit.

READ MORE : REMATCH ‘He’s a cash cow’ – Zhilei Zhang accuses Anthony Joshua of ‘ducking’

Should ‘AJ’ win that to become a three-time heavyweight champion and Usyk beat Fury in their December rematch, there may indeed be discussions on the fight, but fans may wonder how much motivation will come from the Ukrainian’s side given his two conclusive wins.

A more lucrative scenario would be for Fury to avenge his defeat, setting up a long-awaited all-British showdown with Joshua.

Too easy, don’t be afraid: Oleksandr Usyk warns Tyson Fury ‘don’t be afraid’ as heavyweight champion laughs off ‘too easy’ claims

Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury in May to become the heavyweight division’s first undisputed champion in almost 25 years; Fury said in a June interview that he had lost the fight as a result of finding it “too easy” before being knocked down in the ninth round

Oleksandr Usyk warned Tyson Fury not to be “afraid” ahead of their rematch as he laughed off the Brit’s claims that he lost their fight because he found it “too easy”.

Usyk beat Fury in May via a split decision to become the heavyweight division’s first undisputed champion in almost 25 years, ending Fury’s unbeaten record.

Speaking in June, ahead of the rematch which is scheduled for December 21 in Saudi Arabia, Fury insisted that while he thought he won the fight, the only reason Usyk had been able to deliver a late onslaught was that he was “enjoying it too much and messing around”.

READ MORE : “It Could Be His Last Fight” Andy Ruiz ‘Sure’ Who Wins Tyson…..

In an exclusive interview with Sky News on Thursday at the Ukrainian embassy in London, at which Usyk was present to see UK vehicles being donated to his country, he responded to Fury’s comments.

He said: “Oh my god, no way! Okay, no problem. The next fight will be easy [for him too].

“For me, my fight will be hard because Tyson Fury is a big man, a good boxer, with a good boxing IQ.

“But if Tyson says for him it will be easy, ok, no problem. I see for Tyson Fury, I see for the eyes of Tyson Fury, it’s not easy. It will be hard, very, very hard.

‘Referee did his job protecting Fury’

Most neutral observers believed Usyk deserved victory after he overcame a spell of Fury dominance to force a ninth-round knockdown, and very nearly a stoppage.

Some felt the referee had unfairly aided Fury by stepping in to deliver a standing count when Usyk was perhaps just a punch away from ending the contest, but the Ukrainian says he has no issue with the officiating.

“For me, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “Every referee, it’s a professional guy. The referee does his job. Maybe my last punch would be dangerous for Tyson Fury. It’s good.

“Tyson has a big family, I have a big family. Listen, we win. Everything is ok. I do not think about the referee after the fight. We win, thank god, all good, everything is ok.

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“A lot of people say, ‘Oh the referee took your knockout win’ and say ‘Referee bad’. I think no, the referee is good. It’s just talking. Blah blah blah.”

‘Fury is like a yeti, it’s hard’

Usyk also reiterated his camp’s claims that he did not suffer a broken jaw during the fight, as Fury continued to claim was the case in his June interview.

The 37-year-old, who will carry a 22-0 record into the rematch, admitted Fury had inflicted damage to various parts of his body as he compared the Brit to a yeti.

Anthony joshua

“No, not break my jaw,” Usyk said. “Yes, I have a little bit of a problem but I have problems with my fist, my back, my whole body because it’s a hard fight, 47 minutes.

“You see Tyson Fury, he’s like a yeti. It’s hard. My face is good, beautiful.”

Don’t miss the Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois IBF heavyweight title clash live on Sky Sports Box Office on September 21

‘Still Has Demons: Heavyweight Rival Says Daniel Dubois ‘Still Has Demons’: “He Could Be A Deer In The Headlights”

Daniel Dubois is now a heavyweight world champion after being elevated by the IBF when Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt.

The 26-year-old Brit has previously faltered when he stepped up in competition, first against Joe Joyce for the British title and then again against Usyk in his sole world title fight.

Whilst Dubois had a seriously damaged eye in the Joyce fight leading him to take a knee, most consider smartly, he seemed to stay down against the Ukrainian when he looked like he could perhaps carry on.

That loss in particular – in which Dubois had knocked Usyk down but it was ruled to be a low blow – had people questioning his will to fight on.

Despite now having scored two gritty stoppage wins over previously-undefeated Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic, Derek Chisora told Box Nation Dubois still ‘has demons.’

“He’s got demons Daniel. Yeah, I think he’s still got demons. Demons never go away when you have them … Them demons might come back, who knows? In Poland [against Usyk] I was very disappointed cause it was there for him to grab, he didn’t grab it.

Chisora used another example – an undercard bout against Kevin Lerena at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium where Dubois was knocked down three times in the first round by the big underdog. He would recover and win by stoppage in the third.

READ MORE : If he loses to Oleksandr Usyk again, Anthony Joshua could hand Tyson Fury…..

‘Del Boy’ believes there’s a real chance that the young champion freezes under pressure when he defends his title against Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium.Anthony joshua

“Daniel might come out looking like a deer in the headlights, bro. It’s no joke … AJ’s boxed in front of that crowd so many times and he turns up for that crowd. This is the first time Daniel’s fighting in front of proper hardcore English fans, thousands and thousands of them. Last time he did that was at Tottenham, and that nearly went wrong as well.”

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