4 days Ago
The post-mortem into Tyson Fury's defeat began the moment Oleksandr Usyk's hand was raised in Saudi Arabia in May. Victory would have cemented the Gypsy King's status as the greatest of his generation. Instead, it was Usyk who become boxing's first four-belt undisputed heavyweight champion, with Fury left licking his wounds and pondering what could have been.
"It was the most important heavyweight fight of the 21st century, which lived up to all expectations and a result which could have gone either way, but Fury isn't a cry-baby," promoter Frank Warren says. Fury – who was saved by the bell in the ninth round - did not make excuses in the immediate aftermath of the split-decision points loss. However, an eye injury and consequent lack of sparring, chaos instigated by his team and tragedy back home in Lancashire all contributed to Fury's demise.
With insight from those who know Fury best, BBC Sport looks at what adjustments the two-time champion has made in preparing for Saturday's rematch. Earlier this year, Fury's preparation for the most notable fight of his career was far from ideal. A cut to his right eye picked up in sparring delayed it by three months.
Assistant trainer Andy Lee says Fury was unable to engage in head spars from thereon. The 36-year-old is now back in Riyadh for the rematch having held his training camp in Malta, more than 2,000 miles from his home town of Morecambe. The hilltop village of Mellieha provided a hotter climate, less media intrusion and is an hour closer to the Saudi time zone.
Heavyweights Moses Itauma and Kevin Lerena, who sparred Fury for both fights, tell BBC Sport this camp has gone smoothly. Lerana has seen a "massive turnaround" and Itauma says Fury is "100% serious about getting revenge". Former world champion Richie Woodhall feels the lack of sparring before the first fight may have proved the difference.
"Fury was coasting against Usyk but his problem was he ran out of gas and got caught," Woodhall says. "The most important part of your training programme is your sparring and running. If he wasn't sparring, it definitely affected his gas tank, without a shadow of a doubt.
" Before their first fight, the unpredictable Fury refused to make eye contact with Usyk at one face-off before shoving his opponent a day later, but it was the antics of his father which dominated the headlines. John Fury appeared to headbutt a member of Usyk's entourage early in fight week. He was a part of his son's anarchic corner on fight night, barking instructions as his voice drowned out head trainer SugarHill Steward.
Warren expects Team Fury to be on their best behaviour and for John – who will once again work the corner – to take a backseat. "There were a couple of moments where being a parent became more important to him than being a cornerman, which I totally understand, but this time the corner will operate differently – it has to," Warren says. Fury's wife is also expected to watch from ringside.
Paris Fury, at six months pregnant, lost their baby on the eve of the first bout and was unable to join her husband in Riyadh. "I could really feel her absence. You can usually feel her influence in the dressing room," Warren says.
"But I'm quite sure Paris will be there for the rematch, and there have also been no cuts this time, so I hope the whole aspect of what is happening outside of the ring changes what happens inside it." Although only Fury and his trusted insiders will truly know how physically and mentally ready he was in May, Itauma has noticed a change in mindset. "He's definitely more on it," he says.
"I'm not saying he wasn't before but I do feel like he's more on the ball. "Tyson may not show it in public but there's been a switch in his mentality which could win him the rematch." Trainer Dave Coldwell, who was in Tony Bellew's corner when he lost to Usyk in 2018, predicts the outcome of the rematch will be determined by tactics in the ring and not by any goading or trash talk.
Coldwell also feels southpaw Usyk's body shots could be key and questions whether Fury – after a tough trilogy with Wilder and being dropped by debutant Francis Ngannou last year – has suffered too much wear and tear. "Once the punch resistance goes, it doesn't come back and maybe he also underestimated Usyk's ability to hurt him in the first fight," Coldwell adds. Fury, who had already been knocked down seven times in his career, controlled most of the early rounds before he was given a standing count after an Usyk onslaught in the ninth.
Fury says his tactics will remain unchanged. For Woodhall, Fury must be more disciplined and use his height and reach advantage to dictate the range against the smaller man. "Fury and his team will work on that uppercut on the inside which didn't really land last time.
Get Usyk to close the gap down and bring him on to that big punch," Woodhall adds. Woodhall tips Fury for the win, potentially by knockout. Pushed for a prediction, Coldwell leans towards Usyk.
The post-mortem results brought up pretty conclusive results, yet just like the judges first time round, the experts are split on what happens next..
