The Ukrainian became the first man to beat ‘The Gyspy King’ after he scored a split-decision victory in Riyadh back in May. In doing so, the 37-year-old became the first fighter to be crowned undisputed king of the heavyweight division since Lennox Lewis in 1999. The pair are scheduled to go head-to-head for a second time in December in what promises to be an epic night of boxing, serving as an early Christmas present to sports fans.
The decisive moment in the first contest came in the ninth round of their clash. Usyk landed several stinging shots which appeared to nearly knock Fury out. ‘The Gyspy King’ was left severely dazed and was saved by the bell, with many believing that the bout should’ve been stopped.
In the rematch, though, DuBoef expects the former WBC heavyweight champion to be improved and more prepared to face the reigning WBA, WBC, and WBO king. The promoter believes that Fury’s problems were a result of him letting off after starting well in the early rounds.
And speaking to Sky Sports Boxing, DuBoef said: “In those middle rounds it felt like he was just teeing off on him and I think he just got a little lackadaisical and confident. I think he learned a lesson and it was a hard lesson. But I also believe the other guy’s going to be better this time, because he has more confidence. I think his personality the way he [Fury] is in the ring, is just his character. But I think he’s going to not take things for granted and I think learned a hard lesson.”
Both Fury and Usyk were ringside for Anthony Joshua’s defeat to Daniel Dubois. Immediately after the main event, footage emerged of ‘The Gyspsy King’ praising Usyk for his “boxing lesson” to both Joshua and Dubois. Speaking ahead of the recent main event at Wembley Stadium, Fury appeared at an event at Boxpark Wembley, where he told fans his plans for beating the Ukrainian in the rematch.
Sensationally, with just two months to go until the mouthwatering sequel, Fury revealed he is yet to begin his training camp and claimed he only needed a few weeks of preparation for the contest.
When asked how preparation for the rematch was going, he replied: “I haven’t started training yet. I won’t go into camp for a good while. I think I’ve got 13 weeks today until my fight. So, I’ll probably start training in about six weeks for it. I do about six/seven weeks training for these fights usually and I’ll be ready to rock and roll on the night. Roll on December 21, come on!”
The Gypsy King’ was then asked how he plans to get his revenge later this year as he bids to avoid suffering back-to-back defeats to his rival. “It’s very simple. I’ve just got to knock a motherf****r out,” he said. “I’ve made no secret of it by, I think I out-boxed him last time and I’m sure I got the decision, but I’m not going in there for a decision this time.
“I remember I boxed really well in Wilder 1, and I didn’t get the decision. I did the same the other night when I boxed three or four months ago. In the Wilder 2, I went to knock a motherf****r out, and we all know what happened. In Usyk 2, I’m going to knock a motherf****r out!”