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Mike Tyson’s Coach Says Usyk-Fury Rivalry Is Ali-Frazier Reinvented
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Mike Tyson’s Coach Says Usyk-Fury Rivalry Is Ali-Frazier Reinvented
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Dec 21, 2024
Dec 21, 2024
2 min read
Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will meet in their much anticipated heavyweight title rematch on December 21 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as the Ukrainian attempts to defend his Ring Magazine, WBC, WBO, and WBA titles against The Ring's ...
Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will meet in their much anticipated heavyweight title rematch on December 21 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as the Ukrainian attempts to defend his Ring Magazine, WBC, WBO, and WBA titles against The Ring's No. 1 rated contender.
Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) beat Fury (34-1-1) via split decision on May 18 to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years. Fury started the fight strong against the undersized Usyk but faded late after he was knocked down in the ninth round. Usyk landed 170 of 407 of his punches while Fury countered with 157 of 496 of his own. Two judges awarded Usyk the fight via scores 115-112 and 114-113 while a third judge had it 114-113 in favor of Fury.
To get a glimpse of how the rematch will unfold, The Ring met with Mike Tyson’s head coach and Cus D'Amato disciple, Billy White, to get his input, analysis, and final prediction.
“Usyk finally figured out Fury after eight rounds. He let him tire himself out. I blame Fury for his own demise. He didn't get in good enough shape to overcome the will of Usyk. Cus D'Amato always said, 'Will overcomes skill nine times out of ten unless the skill is so great.'
“Fury has the skills to be great to overcome that will, but he didn't. Usyk had the will that overcame Fury. It was truly amazing to see the fight change in the eighth and ninth rounds. It was unbelievable. That is what determination is all about.
“Usyk is a wonderful man with a great background and upbringing. He's a world champion, in and out of the ring. It's beautiful. Tyson Fury is, as well – a gentle giant. He has the will to get up off the canvas. He was going down, and had people believing that he was one of the greatest of all time as well. Usyk changed that.
“For the rematch, unless Fury gets in great shape, he's in trouble again. Usyk doesn't have Fury's number, but anything is possible. Never underestimate Tyson Fury whatsoever. What a fight it's going to be. It's Ali-Frazier all over again. How beautiful is it to see?”
Manouk Akopyan is a lead writer for Ring Magazine. Follow him on X and Instagram.
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