Written by: Sean Crose
There is no doubt that the first fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk was the toughest fight of the individual’s life. When Usyk walked out of the ring that night in Saudi Arabia back in May as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world (his first in years) after defeating Fury, he had to earn that title the hard way. As for Fury, the towering Englishman may not have agreed with the judge’s decision that night (What does a fighter do after his first loss?) there was no argument that, even if he had walked out of the ring victorious against Usyk, Fury. he would have fought the hardest battle of his life.
Now, with the rematch coming in December, fans and commentators are eager for the two men to start again in Saudi Arabia. Part of what makes the rematch interesting, of course, is the fact that the first fight was so close. While Usyk came close to putting Fury away, he couldn’t, as Fury once showed the kind of blood and toughness that would have made George Patton proud. In addition, Fury showed how effective his striking can be, as he used it to block his man for large parts of the fight.
It’s no surprise then that Usyk isn’t going into the rematch thinking it’s going to be an easy night’s work. “No, it won’t be easy,” said the undefeated champion Mail Sport Boxing (with The second one is out). “I think it will be very difficult.” When a fighter is at Usyk’s level, there is an understanding that every opponent will be giving it their all to dominate the block. “Look,” said Usyk, “I’m always preparing for a tough night, which isn’t easy at all.” I am waiting for the cosmos to crush me so that only my eyes can see what is happening. I am passionate about such things.”
When all is said and done, no one will ever accuse Usyk of being completely under-directed throughout his career. Indeed, he will go down as an athlete who accepted the biggest and most difficult challenges. “I don’t think it’s going to be easy for me,” he said of Fury’s comeback, “but I don’t need it to be easy. Diamonds are not easy to find, because they don’t exist. You will not succeed without hard work, everything that is given easily does not grow.”
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