On December 21, Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will again try to establish who is the true heavyweight champion of the world. If their rematch is anything like their first fight it won’t be easy to decide.

Usyk (22-0, 14 KO) left Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 18 with a razor-thin split decision victory over Fury, the difference between them being a stumbling knockdown late in the ninth round when Usyk staggered Fury with two sizzling left hands that had him reeling around the ring until only the ropes seemed to keep Fury upright.

That, at least, was the opinion of referee Mark Nelson, whose decision to step between them with Fury still standing may have saved Fury from a worse fate. The bell soon sounded and despite his legs resembling well-boiled linguine, Fury’s recuperative powers allowed him to rally sufficiently enough to get back into the fight, winning the final round on all three judges’ cards.

In the end each fighter convinced one judge they were 114-113 winners while the third, Manuel Oliver Palomo, saw it for Usyk 115-112. Fury (34-1-1, 24 KO) had controlled much of the first half of the fight but faded under the relentless pressure applied by Usyk, who despite being the smaller man dominated rounds 8-11 to eke out a victory.

Fury recently insisted that upon reflection, “I’ve scored it loads of times, individually, and I never, ever give him the decision. Ever. But I’m not here to complain about decisions. It’s in the past now. I have to put it behind me. I have to be a little bit more focused, a little bit more smart to get the victory.”

When asked if he needed to do anything differently to defend the unified titles (WBC, WBA, WBO, IB0 and RING) he won seven months ago. Usyk was more sanguine. His reply? “No.”

RING asked veteran trainers Abel Sanchez and Teddy Atlas to come up with dueling rematch battle plans. The first three fighters Sanchez trained won world titles and he was for nearly a decade the man preparing long-time middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin. Atlas worked the corner of numerous world champions, including Tim Bradley and two-time heavyweight champion Michael Moorer. Here’s how each would counsel these fighters.

ABEL SANCHEZ on how he’d train Usyk.

I’d try to convince Usyk he has to be constantly pressing Fury again. He has the skills to do that even though he’s the smaller man. He’s a larger version of Pernell Whitaker. He can be right in front of you, but you can’t hit him.

Whitaker was a master at making you uncomfortable. That’s what I’d tell Usyk to do. Make him miss. Frustrate him. Make him doubt himself. He can’t let Fury become comfortable. Keep Fury in uncomfortable mode.

Everyone talks about the size advantage Fury has, being six inches taller and with a seven-inch reach advantage, but if Usyk stays close to him he negates Fury’s length. We don’t want Fury to be able to stretch himself out and use that long jab to control the pace of the action so we fight in close. Usyk can’t allow Fury to get into his groove. That’s what Usyk did in the second half of the first fight. I’d want him to slip in and out, get close enough to counter and keep making Fury turn so he’s never in a comfortable position to punch.

Usyk also needs to do as much as he can to prevent Fury from leaning on him and wrestling him in clinches. When Fury tries to do that to take a break we need to attack his body. Again make him uncomfortable.

The beauty of Usyk is he has the better boxing skills. He’s very adaptable. I’d keep reminding him all through camp that this is more a mental fight than a physical one. We don’t want to take breaks. We don’t want to rest. We want to consistently apply pressure because that wore Fury down. In training we’d spar four-minute rounds with 30 seconds rest instead of a full minute. You don’t want to wear Usyk out, but you want him to feel sure he’s fit enough to push the pace.

He doesn’t have to be throwing punches all the time. The way to win this fight is with his mind. Pernell never took breaks but he wasn’t always punching. He was moving his feet, changing angles, feinting, moving his shoulders and head. Making his opponent unsure of what’s coming next. He’d make his opponent do things he didn’t want to do without actually punching. Usyk has the skill to do that.

What he has to avoid is allowing Fury to be at his distance. The spot where he’s got range and you don’t. Usyk is very disciplined in the ring and that’s what I’d keep reminding him he has to be to win this fight. He has to be on his Ps and Qs for 12 rounds because Fury has the skills to outbox a smaller man if you allow him to dictate the distance.

Fury is the one who has to improve to win the rematch. Usyk has very little to improve on from the first fight and he has a mental advantage. Fury knows now he has someone in front of him who can hurt him. In that ninth round Fury was in a lot of trouble. Those two left hands really buckled him.

In training I’d keep reminding him and reminding him that we have to keep pressing this guy. Take away his length. Use your boxing skills to frustrate him. Then, when he makes mistakes, make him pay for them over and over and over.

TEDDY ATLAS on how he’d train Tyson Fury.

The key is to look at what worked against him in the first fight. Usyk pressed Fury from the first bell to the last bell. Usyk’s strengths are his legs and his hand speed. He used his legs and his agility to keep Fury off balance. We need to negate that.

Usyk was losing through six or seven rounds but it didn’t matter. Things started changing after six rounds. Why? We have to answer that question.

Fury has to understand in the first fight he was the guy being pursued. Fury boxed. Usyk pressed. Usyk fought like the bigger man. We have to break that pattern. There’s a reason Usyk got close in the second half of the fight. Your ego may not allow you to admit you got worn down mentally by his pressure, but we must accept that and find an answer.

Fury needs to back Usyk up a little bit more this time. Set his feet more and use that reach, use that long jab. You draw the line this time. You control him. You stop him from feeling like he’s the boss.

The critical thing is Fury must establish control of range. If Usyk wants to come forward don’t just move away. Take a half step back and then hold your ground sometimes. If Usyk wants to come forward make him go through a bad neighborhood to do it. That’s your turf. Don’t just move away. Let him know people who come into bad neighborhoods get mugged. He needs to take what Usyk did the first fight away from him.

Number two, what did Fury do well? He won rounds using his jab. He set the table but he didn’t eat enough. Use that right hand more behind the jab but understand if the jab becomes effective Usyk will adjust to try and take it away. When he does what can we add to it? The right hand behind it.

What else did he do well? Fury landed good uppercuts. Why didn’t you use that more? Did you shake him with an uppercut in the sixth round? Yes you did. Do it again! Then hit him with another punch after it. Hit him with two shots not just the uppercut.

The uppercut is there when you’re fighting a smaller man. Use it. Don’t let him get into his punching area without paying a price for admission. It’s simple physics. He can’t hit you if he doesn’t get into range. Make him pay a price to get there. Don’t just back up.

Most of all don’t give up defense for offense. Everyone thinks Usyk isn’t that good until you suddenly realize he’s the one who will assassinate you. You don’t see it coming. He sneaks up on you. He’s the friendly assassin. You let him in the house because you get comfortable and he shoots you in the head. You can’t forget that.

You cannot get careless. If Fury comes at him in the wrong way Usyk can counter him and hurt him. He could win the opposite way he won the first fight if Fury comes in too aggressive. We want controlled aggression. Usyk can counter an overaggressive Fury so we need to control what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. Use the uppercut but only in safe spots. Don’t be wild with it.

And vary your attack. Don’t be predictable. You can’t be on autopilot with this guy and just keep using the same rhythm. He’ll try to time your jab so feint to break up your rhythm, and if he does get into that area where he needs to be, don’t stand tall. There should be like an alarm in your house. “INTRUDER! INTRUDER!”

Get your chin lower. Don’t have your head up in the air. Get your head to the side because when the smaller guy gets close your height is a detriment. You’re like a skyscraper with a lot of windows to break. Get your head to the side and don’t be afraid to tie him up. Don’t reach to do it and expose yourself but if he gets too close grab him.

And what did we know going into the first fight? We knew he’s been affected to the body in the past. You were effective doing that last time so go to the body more. Hit him with that telephone pole of a jab from different angles and at different levels and hit him in the body.

At the press conference before the first fight Fury was antagonizing Usyk and Usyk said “Do not worry. I will not leave you alone.” And that’s what he did. He was true to his word. He would not go away. He did what he had to do until that pressure did its job. Fury has to negate that pressure because without that Usyk will have a hard time winning

And I’d remind my guy of something. For all the credit Usyk gets for finding ways to win did you forget you re-wrote the book on how to win? Did you forget you were dead on the floor against (Deontay) Wilder and you came back and won? Did you forget the reason you’re here is you got off the floor when no one had gotten off the floor against Wilder? Did you forget you came back to life from some of the darkest pits of despair? That’s who you are. You’re a winner! Go find that guy! He’s waiting for you. I’d deliver that message the whole camp.

In the first fight I think Fury got worn down psychologically more than physically from Usyk’s constant pressure. It wasn’t a fitness problem. It was mental fatigue. So we need to up Fury’s mental game. We got to take some things away from Usyk by making him pay a high price this time to get close. We don’t just retreat. We remind him, “It’s a bad neighborhood in here Usyk.” We consistently remind him of that all night. We set the terms of engagement this time not him. Let’s see how he likes that.