Today is the day when Oleksandr Usyk cements himself as one of the greatest of all time or when Tyson Fury avenges his only loss and reclaims his heavyweight throne. They both know what is at stake and the importance of today's match.
Fury's behavior is different in this match. He seemed to be laser focused and took a different approach in his interactions with Usyk. At Thursday's press conference, Fury verbally attacked Usyk with personal insults. This may be an attempt to anger the Ukrainians and push them into a firefight. Fury's strategy for this bout could be similar to what he did in Deontay Wilder's second bout, where he opted to move up to 273 pounds. In that second bout, he used a compact attack that caught Wilder by surprise, dropping him several times and eventually stopping him in the seventh round.
Anthony Joshua fought Oleksandr Usyk twice, and it was in the ninth round of their rematch that he had the most success, landing an incredible 28 punches. In that round, he used effective pressure and put Usyk on his back foot. However, being the tactician he is, Usyk made the necessary adjustments in the next round and outboxed Joshua, landing 39 punches in the 10th round.
It's going to take something really special to beat Usyk. His control of angles, elusive movement, and ability to make adjustments during the fight make it extremely difficult for opponents to be effective against him. His known weakness is his body, and many have had limited success landing clean punches to his midsection. None more so than Daniel Dubois, who delivered a devastating punch to Usyk's beltline that sent him to the canvas. The punch was controversially scored as a low blow by the referee, but many believe it was legal. However, Dubois managed to land several body punches throughout the bout.
At yesterday's weigh-in, Fury weighed in at 281 pounds, which matched Usyk's 226 pounds. The 55 pound difference would be for him to be bigger, stronger, apply pressure, and bully Usyk from the inside. In the first bout, Fury was effective early by landing several right uppercuts, which stunned Usyk in the sixth round and caused some serious damage leaving him badly shaken, leading to the famous image of Usyk kissing his cross. Fury will look to replicate this effort and punish him.
To be truly effective, he will have to outscore Usyk, which is no easy task. It must be unpredictable in boxing in the short and long term. Give Usyk different looks and attack from different angles. Usyk is great at adapting, and if Fury becomes too predictable or repetitive, Usyk will change tactically. Anger must control distance; He did not do a good job in the first match and suffered because of it. He has a 7-inch reach advantage and should capitalize on his jab when he's at distance. He has to do it with intensity and throw it at a higher rate than he did in the first game. He had limited success, receiving 62 hits. He has to keep Usyk at bay and not allow that
To go inside until he is ready to face it. Rage must also target the body heavily as an effective physical attack will slow down Usyk's speed. The bigger question is: Can Fury go the distance with the added weight? If he can't slow down Usyk, he may find himself struggling to defend. The first bout was narrowly won, with Usyk winning by split decision. The judges scored the score 115-112, 114-113 for Usyk, and 114-113 for Fury. The outcome of this match may end differently as Fury's adjustments outside the ring are already becoming visible. His focus, weight and attitude show that he will be more aggressive in this match. The showmanship and fun he showed in the first match will be downplayed, and instead, he will spend his energy on seriously hurting Usyk. Usyk must weather the early storm and make the necessary adjustments to survive Fury's pressure. The rematch should be as great as the first.
