Boxing legends Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis have advised Tyson Fury to “focus” if he wants to beat Oleksandr Usyk.
The much-anticipated rematch between Fury and Usyk is scheduled for December 21, with Usyk having handed ‘The Gypsy King’ his first professional defeat earlier this year in May. The Ukrainian emerged victorious by split-decision, claiming the title of the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lewis in 1999.
Since the fight, there’s been a lot of talk about Fury needing to switch up his team, with some even pointing fingers at his father, John Fury, for his corner work during the Riyadh showdown. But Tyson and Lewis are on the same page, suggesting that what Fury really needs is to take Usyk more seriously.
The pair agree that Fury has been too playful, and Lewis thinks some strategic changes are necessary for Fury to triumph in the ring. With his own big match against Jake Paul on the horizon, Tyson said that Usyk’s control in the initial clash caught many off guard while Fury’s careless approach didn’t help, as per the Irish Star.
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“Hey listen, Usyk surprised everybody,” Tyson said to talkSPORT Boxing. “I think Tyson Fury played around too much. I think he needs to be taking fights serious and hopefully he’ll get a different result.”
Fury, however, remains unshaken in his methods, rejecting any suggestion that he ought to adjust his game plan before stepping into the ring again. Lewis has shared his stance, telling Boxing News the strategy that Fury needs to adopt for the fight while maintaining that fans will get to see a “different” Fury this time around.
Lewis and Tyson, who fought in a heated contest in 2002, both agree that Fury needs to up his game against Usyk (
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“No, it’s not as simple as that,” Lewis said while discussing Furys tendency to stick to familiar tactics. “He does need to make some adjustments. If he didn’t make any adjustments, then he would lose the fight again.
“He definitely has to go in there with a focused attitude and being able to throw a lot more punches. I don’t think he wants to give too much away, and I think we’re going to get a different Tyson for this fight.”
In spite of various opinions swirling, Fury himself is immovable regarding his fight preparation, remaining loyal to his team and approach. While speaking with Paul Dempsey back in October, Fury reflected on his previous encounter with Usyk and expressed confidence in his current camp without the need for radical changes.
Tyson Fury has insisted that he won’t change his preparation for the the Usyk fight (
PA Wire)
“I know what I’ve got to do, nothing drastic. People can say ‘I want to change trainers or I’ll blame it on me conditioning coach or I’ll blame it on the cook or I’ll blame it on the mouse next door.’ Same team, same everything. I know what I’ve got to do.
“I thought I won the fight last time. I give him, me boxing all my life and watching boxing me whole career, I give him rounds eight, nine and ten, and round nine was a 10-8.
“So that’s what I give him out of the fight, but obviously the judges saw it a bit different, couple of them did. One of them had me winning. That’s what it was. It was as close as it can be.”
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