Usyk v Fury 2: Frank Warren on how Tyson Fury can enact 'revenge' over Oleksandr Usyk with key adjustment in rematch
Updated 19/12/2024 at 13:15 GMT
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Tyson Fury's promoter Frank Warren believes that his fighter "will steal the show" during his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday. Warren says that 'The Gypsy King' believed he should have come away victorious from the first bout, and added that he has tightened his focus and is ready to win the belts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Watch the rematch live on TNT Sports Box Office on Saturday.
‘He wants his revenge’ – Warren promises ‘something special’ from Fury in Usyk rematch
Video credit: TNT Sports
Frank Warren has urged his fighter Tyson Fury to make one key adjustment to come away with the belts in his much-anticipated rematch with Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night.
'The Gypsy King' will face the Ukrainian for the second time this year for the unified heavyweight championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – live on TNT Sports Box Office.
The Brit fell short in his bid to become the undisputed champion in May when Usyk defeated him with a split-decision victory to solidify his status as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
For the early part of the fight, Fury appeared to be in control, but in typical fashion, Usyk found another gear later on and almost produced a stunning knockout in the ninth round, but Fury managed to stay on his feet.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with TNT Sports, Fury's promoter Warren urged his fighter to make one slight adjustment if he wants to crowned the champion.
"Tyson has great skills and Usyk has great skills," he said. "Tyson has to keep that jab going. He’s got to work that jab, and it relaxes the fighter, everything flows off it. When they’re winding themselves up and looking for the big punches, it hardly ever works out.
"Tyson needs to relax and work off that jab, and he’s got a natural variety and you exploit the weaknesses. The adjustment is more body shots because we saw what Daniel Dubois did to him. I studied Usyk fights before Daniel Dubois and even in the amateurs, he doesn’t like it underneath.
"He’s got to do that more. The uppercuts that he knows he’s caught him with, he’s just got to do more of that. It’s the rudimentary of boxing. It’s a really intriguing and interesting fight and both the fighters know it. Both of them are the exponents of the art of boxing, they know what they have to do."
Although Usyk stopped Dubois in the ninth round in August 2023, the Englishman did get some joy with his body shots, and his camp was frustrated when Dubois appeared to drop Usyk in the fifth round before it was ruled a low blow.
'He wants his revenge, he wants that win'
Warren also explained how Fury was desperate to get back in the ring with Usyk following his defeat in May.
The promoter illustrated how much the Brit has changed his focus for the rematch and is confident that Fury can get over the line this time around.
"Immediately after the fight in the ring, he thought he won the fight, and I’ll be honest, I thought he won it," Warren said. "For me it was a very close fight, and I’m not complaining about the decision. But he wanted the rematch. I said to him he doesn’t have to make any decisions, go and think about it and spend time with your family.
"You’ve got the rematch clause and let’s consider what you want to do. At the press conference, I told him to temper it, and he did, but we come out of the press room and he says, ‘f*** it, I want the rematch'. Every time I spoke to him, that’s all he talked about constantly. He wants his revenge, he wants that win.
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Fury exclusive: 'Gypsy King' vows to ‘destroy’ Usyk
Video credit: TNT Sports
"He believes he won the fight and believes he can win it this time. He’s gone about this in a different way. He shrunk the team, they’ve been in camp and he’s not been taking any calls from anybody. Not an argument with his wife, but even his wife, he hasn’t been speaking to Paris.
"I think he’s been talking to the kids but not to Paris because he doesn’t want anything distracting what the end game is for him, which is to beat Usyk. That’s all he’s focussed on."
Warren also added: "I can’t tell you how much he is up for this fight, and the last three weeks, everything has clicked into place. He’s peaked at the right time, mentally and physically. If he gets beat – I don’t believe he will be – but if he gets beat on Saturday, then he’s been beat by the better man, end of story.
"He is in great shape. If you look at the last fight, and he’s never complained about it, but his wife had a miscarriage the week of the fight, the cut in sparing affected his training. It’s not an excuse, but that is a fact.
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"When you’ve got a cut eye, you’re terrified when you’re sparring – you don’t want to get cut again otherwise the fight gets postponed and there were big financial penalties involved in there as well. This time around, he’s on the money, so no complaints and I think you’re going to see something a bit special on the night.
"I was looking at Usyk, and he’s a true pro, he’s up for it. These guys are really, really up for this fight. They’ve shared 12 rounds together, they know their strengths and weaknesses and that fight would’ve taken something out of both of them. It was a tough and brutal fight. Who has it taken the most out of? That’s what we’re going to find out."
The 72-year-old also said that he has watched the first fight back, and although he was not surprised by Usyk's tactics on the night, he is confident that both men will understand what small tweaks can be made for the second title bout.
"Usyk did what I expected him to do and that was to come out and put it on Tyson, and he’ll do it again," he said. "Neither of these guys will want to be on the back foot, although Tyson fights better than he does on the back foot."
He added: "Tyson will put this guy on the back foot, that’s what he’s got to do. That’s why it’s going to be a good fight. It won’t be a chess match because they have to dominate the centre of the ring. To take the centre of the ring and push your man back, that’s the tactics. That will be the same for Usyk.
"He did the same thing with AJ [Anthony Joshua], he out-jabbed him. He’s a very smart fighter and I’ve got a lot of respect for him. Boxing is the noble art and these two are noble warriors. Whether you like Tyson or Usyk, in the ring, they epitomise boxing.
"They bare their souls, they bare their hearts in that ring, giving everything. That’s what they did in the last fight. This time, these guys are mature men and they know what they’ve got to do. They know they’re going to war, and once they get in there, there’ll be no turning back. Everything will be left in that ring."
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‘And still!’ – Usyk insistent he will beat Fury again
Video credit: TNT Sports
When discussing the tactics of the fight, Warren believes that Fury does not need to make too many changes from the first fight and urged his fighter to repeat what he did during those early rounds.
"I don’t think there’ll be much showboating," he explained. "Most of what he did was right, he [just] got clipped, that happens in fights. In the first fight, he got clipped twice by [Deontay] Wilder – the last one, how he got up I don’t know.
"His adjustments in the second fight, he did the business. The third fight was just a brutal war. That for me was one of the best live fights I’ve ever attended. [Francis] Ngannou, he went down and ninth round of the fight against Usyk, he’s in trouble but his recuperative powers in the next round of that fight, the 10th and 11th round, he was there and he won the last round from all the judges cards.
"He’s got that power in him to do that. So his adjustment, what he’s got to do is make sure he doesn’t get clipped, that’s really it. But it’s heavyweight boxing and as they get older, they get a little bit slower, that’s what happens.
"Tyson has got to continue doing what ... he did in rounds three to seven. He was so dominant in those rounds and that’s what he’s got to do, keep doing that."
Warren also delivered a very ominous warning to Usyk regarding what will happen in the hotly-anticipated rematch on Saturday.
"Tyson will steal the show," he said. "I think Tyson will stop him."
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‘He does not like it’ – Warren pinpoints key adjustment for Fury to make against Usyk
Video credit: TNT Sports
How to watch Usyk v Fury 2?
discovery+ - TNT Sports Box Office events are now available to purchase and watch in the discovery+ app – on smart TVs, computer or mobile device, viewers wanting to watch the fight should visit https://www.discoveryplus.com/gb/ppv-purchases and follow instructions to register and then purchase the event.
EE TV - Customers can purchase the event via their STB on channel 494.
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