Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk: 5 burning questions (and answers)
Boxing will have an undisputed heavyweight champion on Saturday.
That’s when beltholders Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will fight for all four major titles at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on DAZN Pay-Per-View.
The fight was scheduled for Feb. 17 but it was pushed back after Fury suffered a cut during sparring. However, the fighters are now ready to roll.
Of course, fans and pundits have many questions going into the most important heavyweight fight in a generation. Here are five of them, complete with answers.
Which Fury will show up?
A better version. Fury embarrassed himself and the sport – with some help from Francis Ngannou – the last time we saw him in the ring, on Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia. What should’ve been an easy victory over an aging MMA star making his boxing debut turned into a near disaster, with Fury hitting the canvas in the third round and having to rally to win a split decision. If that Fury shows up on Saturday, Oleksandr Usyk will school him and become undisputed champion in a walkover. We won’t see that version of “The Gypsy King,” however. Fury evidently was ill-prepared for the Ngannou fight because he expected little resistance from his upstart opponent, who gave a spirited effort. I believe Fury will be as prepared as he can possibly be for the challenge he’ll face in the Middle East, as he has looked remarkably fit in the months leading up to the fight. Of course, we’ll see whether that’s good enough to take down one of the best technicians in the world. But he’ll be ready.
Was Usyk’s performance against Daniel Dubois a red flag?
Possibly. Those who believe that Usyk is vulnerable to body shots can point to his unusual fight against Dubois on Aug. 26 as evidence. The champion went down hard from a right to the belt line that referee Luis Pabon erroneously ruled a low blow, which gave Usyk undeserved time to recover and go on to stop Dubois in the ninth round. Of course, Usyk might’ve been able to get to his feet and continue fighting if he had to gotten to his feet within 10 seconds. And the victory is now in the books. A legitimate question arose, however: Are blows to the body the great Ukrainian’s weakness? Will his big, strong, talented opponent emphasize body work in light of what happened in the Dubois fight? If Fury does so and he can land his punches in the right spots, we’ll see whether Usyk is indeed vulnerable to that area.
Will the size difference be a significant factor?
Absolutely. A good big man beats a good little man, as the adage goes. And that would seem to apply to this fight. Usyk probably has somewhat better technical skills than Fury but the Englishman isn’t far behind, meaning he’d be competitive if they were the same size. And they’re anything but. Fury is 6-foot-9 and probably will be 260-plus pounds when he steps into the ring on Saturday. Usyk is 6-3 and weighed around 221 for his last three fights, the result of bulking up following his days as the 200-pound champion. He’s about as big as he can get and still have the ability to move effectively, which leaves him at a significant disadvantage. His supporters will point to his victories over Anthony Joshua as evidence that he can handle a big opponent, which makes sense. However, Joshua (6-6, 250-plus) isn’t quite as big as Fury. Plus, the second fight seemed to be more taxing for Usyk physically than the fi. Usyk has a big mountain to climb.
How significant is this matchup?
Huge. First, barring unforeseen circumstances, boxing will have its first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in the early 2000s. Also, the fact they are the two best heavyweights of the post-Klitschko era and unbeaten adds to the importance of the matchup. It’s not Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier I – it’s unlikely that any fight will approach the magnitude of that historic bout – but it doesn’t get bigger than Fury-Usyk by today’s standards. And it seems likely that the fight on Saturday will be only the first installment in what could be a two- or three-part series, perhaps akin to the unforgettable meetings between the undersized Evander Holyfield (another former cruiserweight champ) and Riddick Bowe in 1990s. Yes, this is a significant moment in boxing.
Who’s going to win?
Fury. I hesitated to type those four letters. I keep thinking about his miserable performance against Ngannou, who entered their fight with next to no boxing experience and almost won. Observers were justified in asking whether the 35-year-old titleholder had begun to decline after more than 15 years as a professional boxer. Perhaps he has. However, I’m going with my gut here. I hadn’t seen signs of slippage in previous fights. I’m convinced that Fury believed he could beat Ngannou just by showing up, which is no way to approach any fight. I think he’s ready physically and mentally for the challenge he’ll face on Saturday. Usyk, a truly gifted boxer, will give his rival some problems but Fury’s combination of ability, size and superior physical strength will be more than enough for the Mancunian to wear Usyk down and pull away in the later rounds to win a clear decision or score a late knockout. Fury UD.
