Usyk vs Fury 2 - Dec 21 ???

[wandshogun09]

Thought I’d get this up now seeing as it’s almost upon us…

That’s still the full card and bout order as far as I can tell. I’m reading that the coverage on TNT Sports Box Office kicks off from 4pm, so I’d imagine it’ll be the same everywhere else. Main event ring walks are supposedly around 11pm but we’ll see. You know what these Saudi cards are like. And it’s £24.99 if you’re a law abiding citizen.

Undercard isn’t setting the world alight for me. Looking forward to seeing Moses Itauma back in there. Fisher vs Allen feels like a real morbidly obvious mismatch. Whatever. It would’ve been nice to have a more ‘stacked’ card but the truth is they don’t need it with a main event like that. They could have me and you on the undercard and the same amount of people will tune in. Epic rematch.

They fought back in May at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There’d been so much political and negotiation bullshit in the run up to that one I think a lot of us thought we’d never see it. Fury was throwing out all kinds of mad demands on deadlines and it genuinely seemed like he just didn’t fancy it. But Turki stepped in and money talks. Even then though, the original date for the fight was February and when Tyson had to pull out after suffering a nasty cut in sparring, it just seemed like it was destined to join the list of big Heavyweight fights that got away along with Fury vs Joshua and Joshua vs Wilder. It was rescheduled for May and I was still sceptical and pessimistic that we’d see it. I deliberately avoided a lot of the hype stuff because I didn’t wanna allow myself to get swept up in it only to have the fight fall to bits again. It wasn’t until a week or so before the fight that I finally started to believe. Thankfully, this time it happened.

I remember in the thread for that fight, I was gushing about it being this incredible, almost once in a lifetime type of fight. All the belts were up for grabs for the first time since Lewis vs Holyfield back in 1999. This was a real clash of elite Heavyweights that any Boxing fan is lucky to witness once in real time during their life. And we’re getting to see it twice within one year! Amazing.

The mad thing was, the fight itself actually exceeded my expectations. I was dying to see them share the ring just because of how good they both are and it would’ve been an absolute travesty if the fight somehow never materialised. But the actual fight, I wasn’t sure how it was gonna play out on the night. I remember thinking Fury’s size would probably be the difference maker in the end but I was half picturing it to be a bit lacklustre with Fury just leaning on him for big spells and making the smaller man carry his weight. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to be wrong. It was a great fight. It’s quite rare a fight with that kind of hype and build up actually delivers on everything it promises but this one did just that and then some for me.

Crazy scenes from the 9th round. Up until then, it had been a very competitive fight and if anyone was up on the cards, it most likely would’ve been Fury. I’ll have to watch the fight again before the rematch but, as I recall it, I had Usyk starting well and winning maybe the first couple of rounds. Then it felt like Fury really got a hold of the fight in the middle rounds and I had this sinking feeling that he was just gonna either coast to a decision or eventually overwhelm him. Usyk wasn’t getting battered or anything but I just remember thinking it really wasn’t looking too good for him in those middle rounds. By about round 7/8, I think Usyk was getting back in it. Then in the 9th it all went mad. Usyk had him all fucked up. Tyson, to his credit, was fighting with every ounce of his heart to stay upright. There’s no questioning his toughness and there’s no quit in him. But Usyk was smashing him all over the place and I do think there’s a case to be made that the ref probably could’ve stopped it a couple of times. I do wonder, if the roles were reversed and Fury had Usyk in that position, would Usyk have been given as many chances to stay in the fight? We’ll never know but the drama was off the fucking charts. What a fight. I can’t even remember how I scored the last few rounds but I do remember thinking Usyk had won by at least two rounds when it was all over.

The right man definitely won. Although it was scored a split decision with one judge giving the nod to Fury by a point, thankfully the other two judges knew what was what. If Fury got the decision that night it would’ve been total bollocks to me. I’ve seen Fury fans since trying to rewrite it as if Usyk only got the decision because of the 9th round but it’s shite. Of course a big round like that helps but it wasn’t just a one round thing. Unless I’m completely misremembering it, Usyk had a bigger share of the rounds regardless. That 9th round assault just made it undeniable and harder to rob him. Although, like I said, one judge tried it.

It was all respect in the immediate aftermath of the result being announced. Then Fury opened his gob and started waffling a load of cobblers in the post-fight interview about Usyk only getting the decision because of the war in Ukraine! Absolutely mental comment. He did also say “HAPPY NEW YEAR” as well though. In May. So maybe his eggs were still scrambled at that point from the 9th round.

Part II then. From the second the first fight ended, you knew they’d be running it back. Even if there wasn’t a rematch clause in the contract, it was such an incredible fight and being Fury’s first loss, you knew it wouldn’t be a one and done thing. It’s gonna be very interesting to see how Fury responds to that first taste of defeat. He sounds dialled in but we’ll see.

“As it would seem, my rematches with people always end up one way. I always end up knocking them out in the rematch. Whoever I have faced more than once has been knocked out in the rematch. I’m envisaging something similar in the second fight with Usyk.”

“It was very close last time, he got it by a point. A little bit more focus, a little bit more lack of complacency and I should be able to do the job I need to do. Nothing drastic has to change, a bit more the same, a little bit more focus and I will be victorious. It wasn’t my time to win or else the almighty would have given me the victory. That was meant to be and we’re going to find out what’s meant to be on December 21. I believe it will be my time this time.” - Tyson Fury

The ‘I knock guys out in rematches’ thing is all well and good but this is a bit of a different case. Yeah, he stopped Wilder and Chisora in the rematches but he had them both figured out from the off. Even that dodgy draw against Wilder the first time, everyone with working eyeballs knew Fury got robbed. This Usyk thing is completely different because he never had Usyk figured out. Maybe he does now for all I know, it remains to be seen. But I’m not convinced. Usyk’s a totally different type of fighter and a much trickier puzzle to solve than those guys. As dangerous as Wilder was, in simple terms it was always a case where if Fury could avoid the bomb, he’d box circles around Wilder. As it turned out, he didn’t avoid every bomb but still took Wilder to school over their trilogy. But there’s really no straightforward path to victory against a guy like Usyk. My thinking going into the first fight was the old ‘a great big man beats a great little man’ mindset. But Usyk had more answers for Fury’s tricks than I expected. He handled the clinching and Tyson’s leaning on him better than I thought and he ultimately kept a pace that I think he knew someone as big as Tyson couldn’t maintain over 12 rounds.

Tyson’s looking a bit beefier to me in the few pics I’ve seen recently. It’ll be interesting to see what he weighs in at this time. He was 262lbs for the first fight, which is obviously still massive but he’d trimmed down 15lbs from his previous fight against Francis Ngannou. While he’s saying there’ll be no drastic changes for the Usyk rematch, I won’t be surprised if he’s coming in heavier this time. I think him being a bit lighter last time was a calculated decision because he knew he’d have to move around a lot against Usyk and would need the extra gas in the tank. It didn’t work out for him so I can see him packing on some size to really maximise that advantage this time. No doubt looking to make things more difficult for Usyk in clinch situations but also going for more power. This could all be bollocks and he comes in lighter again. It’s hard to tell with Fury. Every fight there seems to be this obsession with his physique and weight and it doesn’t seem to make much difference on the night. I think against Usyk more than any other opponent though, it matters. If he does come in heavier, I’m not sure it’s gonna work. That would feel like he’s throwing all his eggs into the early KO basket and if that KO doesn’t come, it’s probably gonna get ugly for him in the later rounds.

Fascinating fight. Unfortunately it’s not for all the marbles this time because Usyk no longer holds the IBF belt, so it doesn’t have the UNDISPUTED prestige around it this time. But even still, three straps on the line and it’s a monster rematch. If Fury evens the score, it’s trilogy time. A third fight between these two, with them tied at 1-1, would be absolutely mega. If Usyk can go 2-0 over Fury though, I honestly think he should just ride off into the sunset at that point. What else would there be to accomplish? It’d be the most badass end to his legendary career imaginable. 


Some bits and bobs to get the blood pumping…

The thread for the first fight…

The Press Conference…

Sky Sports ‘Behind The Ropes’…

TNT Sports ‘The 9th Round’ Documentary…

TNT Sports Face-Off sitdown…

DAZN Face-Off sitdown…

The silly official promo…

 

OK, that’s me done. Can’t wait for this. As buzzing as I was for the first fight, the story of that one makes this rematch even more compelling. 

A nice early present from the Christmas Turki ??

 

Edited December 18, 2024 by wandshogun09

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

Maybe I will feel different fight week but in all honesty the rematch has not really sparked the imagination like the first match did. No controversy in the first fight, Usyk obviously won so the rematch feels unnecessary. Dies anyone else feel this?

[Kfogg1991]

4 hours ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

Maybe I will feel different fight week but in all honesty the rematch has not really sparked the imagination like the first match did. No controversy in the first fight, Usyk obviously won so the rematch feels unnecessary. Dies anyone else feel this?

It kinda hurts to agree but your absolutely right......I see this one ending the same man's hand being raised but fury not being as lucky and getting knocked out and that will bring Tyson into a deep dark place mentally which scares me because he's become a outstanding spokesperson for mental health and that's what made me such a fan of him and the sole reason I watch any boxing so it's such a big event with way more involved.

[Jesse]

I'm not feeling the magic of the first one, I think you'd be hard pressed to. What's pulling me into this one is the sheer desire I have to see him do it twice and really cement it. I know the first time (if) he rocks Tyson I'm gonna be on my feet again, so I'm tuning in for that possibility.

[ReturnOfTheMack]

I'm ambivalent as to the winner this time around, but I can see Fury coming in with so much to prove that he will either win by KO or get knocked out early as he makes a mistake.

[Egg Shen]

Usyk's dancing again, i'm all in.

 

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

The Dennis McCann fight is off. Dennis has returned an adverse finding to VADA. I'm sure there will be excuses, there always are. 

[Egg Shen]

Ahh thats shit, probably the best fight on the card other than the main event.

The Madrimov/Bochachuk fight is off too, they are saving Madrimov for February.

 

[neil]

On 12/7/2024 at 2:32 PM, wandshogun09 said:

The James Bond henchmen vibe is very strong in this photo.

[wandshogun09]

We’ve been expecting you, Mr Fury…

[d-d-d-dAz]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDmrC55uVEE/?igsh=OTFxaWd6N3l3Zm14

Turki absolutely loves it. He's the Tony Khan of boxing, just wants to be best mates with all the lads.

[Gooner]

I can't wait for the fight in the sane way I couldn't wait for their first fight and it will be REPEAT!

Usyk wins this time in the way he should have won the first time around by stoppage. I expect Fury to be heavier and try to take the centre of the ring after Usyk took control of it in their first fight. He will have his moments but Usyk will deal with it, adapt, get better and stop Fury between rounds 10-12.

Edited December 17, 2024 by Gooner
.

[Egg Shen]

Feeling weirdly detached from this considering it's Saturday, maybe its cause Christmas is round the corner?

Still, i Will be watching and like @Goonerim leaning heavily on Usyk, I think he may stop the big lump this time as well.

[wandshogun09]

On 12/13/2024 at 10:49 PM, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

The Dennis McCann fight is off. Dennis has returned an adverse finding to VADA. I'm sure there will be excuses, there always are. 

 

On 12/14/2024 at 4:21 AM, Egg Shen said:

Ahh thats shit, probably the best fight on the card other than the main event.

The Madrimov/Bochachuk fight is off too, they are saving Madrimov for February.

 

Updated card…

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

It all got a bit silly at the end of the presser. Reminded me of this