Oleksandr Usyk seemed completely unfazed when he was told today that Tyson Fury has promised him “a lot of pain” and “damage” in his fight. DAZN PPV The rematch is tonight, Saturday.
Usyk: “Okay”
Usyk (22-0, 14 KO) shrugged his shoulders as if to say “whatever,” making it clear that he is not at all concerned about Fury’s idle threats and that he intends to be the one to cause “pain” and “damage.” In the return match at the Kingdom Hall in Riyadh.
After what Oleksandr did to Fury in their previous fights, it's understandable why he's not sweating his gutsy talk. Tyson will have to do more than just talk to worry two-time undisputed champion Usyk.
Does anger need rest?
Fury (34-1-1, 24 KO) appears to have had a tough life the past seven months since losing a 12-round majority decision on May 18. It seems like Tyson has been living under the bridge for the past 214 days since his defeat. He has heavy bags under his crinkled eyes and a wizened, shrunken appearance. I've never seen someone look so bad in such a short period of time.
Mentally and physically, he doesn't look ready for the rematch, but he's becoming a soldier by going through it. You have to respect that, but he may regret it if the result is worse than last time.
It seems that former WBC heavyweight champion Fury is pushing himself too hard and needs a very long rest in spas. It's one of those places where the wait is in full swing, with the best food, massages, and sunshine.
Obviously he'll take a nice vacation after the fight, but if he loses to Usyk by knockout, he might retire. Eddie Hearn mentioned the possibility of Fury retiring if Usyk beats him, and you can't rule that out.
“Yes,” Tyson Fury said today that he brought him “a lot of pain, a lot of hurt, breaking and damaging” on Saturday, Usyk told DAZN, responding to what he was told Tyson Fury said today.
Looking good and feeling good 👌
“Okay,” Usyk responded to Tyson Fury promising pain. 😅#Usyk2Fury | #Riyadh Season | December 21, Live on DAZN | Click the link in bio to purchase @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 emotions into him,” Eddie Hearn told . Causes of tramplingTyson Fury hopes to defeat Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday. “But how can you pick against Oleksandr Usyk? I'm doing it because I'm a patriot, but how can you pick against him in this fight?
“If this fight is a classic and Fury wins, it's very possible that we'll see a trilogy. But you'll also have the opportunity for AJ to face Fury for the world heavyweight championship, which would be absolutely huge.
“If Fury loses, he might not fight again, or he might decide to fight AJ,” Hearn said. “AJ has one, two, three, four fights left. Fury has one, two, three, four fights left. Same with Usyk.
Post-combat scenarios
If Fury wins, Hearn could be lucky if he chooses to postpone the trilogy bout with Usyk and take the fight with Anthony Joshua next. This is the smartest move Fury and his promoters could make because they can't count on Joshua surviving his next fight without getting beaten again.
Joshua is tired of being put through another rebuilding situation, and will face someone good to restore his self-respect after his loss to Daniel Dubois on September 21. This is the problem. At 35 years old, AJ is not young, and his resistance to punches appears to be over after a long career. So, if Fury gets through his fight with Usyk with a win, he will need to convince his promoters to fight Joshua next.
“A lot of these fighters are coming to the end, but hopefully not because the new crop coming in has talent. But the established names out there have been a great asset to the heavyweight division and boxing in general,” Hearn said.
