Will Oleksandr Usyk make it 2-0 against Tyson Fury or can 'The Gypsy King' equalize the score at 1-1; that question will be answered in less than 36 hours.
What we do know is that Tyson Fury will enter the heavyweight rematch fitter and less vulnerable than last time – especially now that he doesn't have to worry about the reopening of recent cuts.
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Tyson Fury fought in his first fight with Usyk through a '$10 million' bounty
The first fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk was an exciting affair and with that rematch looming large, trainer Andy Lee is keen to remind fans that that wasn't 100% 'The Gypsy King'.
“Fights are won and lost in the ring, but a lot of it has to do with what happens during the build-up, during training camp and how you prepare,” Lee told DAZN Boxing: “People seem to forget that there is $10 million in the ring was stopped. on Tyson's eye.
“When they announced that the [first] The fight was postponed, there was a deal where if someone withdrew from the rescheduled fight, he would have to pay 10 million dollars from his pocket.
“And that was really taken into account, and because he had the cut, he wasn't able to spar or prepare in the way he should have, and that affected him in the [first] fight.”
Fury suffered a nasty tear to his eye in the final week of training before their first fight, which forced the fight to be postponed by three months, which Lee believes had a much more impact on his mentality than fans realise.
“When you fight with cuts, it's something where you try to fool yourself and convince yourself that it's not a weakness – but it is there, somewhere in your subconscious you know that one punch can change this, one blow can change this… And you are always aware of that vulnerability.”
According to the former professional boxer turned trainer, Fury himself has also stated that he will enter the ring on December 21, fully focused on getting revenge; now there is no major injury he has to worry about.
“He says, 'Andy, that was an exciting fight, I gave it a good try, wasn't fit, had a bounty on my eye, couldn't train properly – when the rematch comes I'll be 50% better on a full match .' camp, and I will destroy him. ''
Andy Lee predicts a masterclass from 'The Gypsy King' in the rematch
Due to the location of the cut and the timing of the injury, Tyson Fury was unable to optimally train or spar for Oleksandr Usyk the first time around; Now 'The Gypsy King' is fitter and better prepared than ever.
“To win the rematch, Tyson will have to be fitter – and he will be. Having better conditioning – which he will have… I feel like Tyson will be able to take his moments, and continue to attack, because he will be fitter and more conditioned.
“The key to victory for Tyson in the rematch is to be fitter, stronger and very importantly, to be heavier. He was under 19 stone for that fight and that was his plan, but Tyson was always at his best when he was around 19 stone and 12 pounds.”
Tyson Fury told Sky Sports Boxing earlier this week that he weighed around 20kg, and that the official weigh-in would take place in a few hours.
“I think he will be heavier in the rematch; he will be more dominant in the rematch, [and] he will push his mate a lot more in the rematch,” Lee continued.
“And like I said, it's really hard to fight with a cut on your eye… He's coming back to right the wrongs and redeem himself.”
Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk 2 will be broadcast live from Riyadh on Saturday, December 21.
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