Although Tyson Fury was beaten for the first time as a pro when he faced Oleksandr Usyk in their May fight, Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, says his man took less punishment in the fight than Usyk. This might seem like quite the statement from Warren, especially when we look back at that torrid ninth round, with Fury being blasted around the ring on, by his own admission, “Bambi’s legs.”
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Usyk really did hit Fury with everything in that round, his wicked shots to the head doing everything but, to Fury’s credit, knock Fury out. It was the most hurt we have ever seen Fury in a fight, including the knockdowns he suffered against Deontay Wilder. But Warren, speaking with Sky Sports, insists Usyk was in worse shape in the dressing room after the fight than was Fury.
“I do [think the first fight took a toll on Usyk],” Warren said. “I went to both the fighter’s dressing rooms afterward. I was in Tyson’s dressing room and obviously he was very disappointed, he felt he’d done enough to win the fight. It was a close fight. I went into the dressing room to congratulate Oleksandr and he knew he’d been in a tough fight. That’s the toughest fight he’s ever had. At the time they were worried he’d broken his jaw. His manager told me an implanted tooth was impacted into his gum. That was a gruelling fight for both of them.”
It was indeed a tough fight for both men, and Usyk has said that Fury is his career toughest opponent. But there is no way I am convinced Usyk was more hurt than Fury was in their first fight. Again, that ninth round was painful for Fury, as it was massively dominant for Usyk. Fury did buzz Usyk with his uppercut, perhaps more than once in the fight, but never did Usyk look like he was going down, whereas the ropes held up Fury in round nine, and some say he was “saved” by the referee.
In any case, both heavyweights are ready for another tough and testing fight. From a physical standpoint, who did the first fight take the most out of? Was it Fury or Usyk? Warren says Fury will use his physical attributes in the rematch and that he will perhaps get the stoppage win on December 21.
“He can be hurt,” Warren said of Usyk.
Agreed, but then so can Fury. Maybe the rematch does end inside the distance, one way or the other.
How much has Fury got left at age 36? How much has Usyk got left at age 37?
