Eddie Hearn: "What Usyk Did Against Fury Was Truly Incredible"

Head of Matchroom Boxing, Eddie Hearn, shared his expectations for the rematch between WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) and former champion Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) in an exclusive interview with Ready to Fight.

"This fight last time was incredible, even just to watch. I had no interest, but I love boxing, and I think the rematch will be just as thrilling as the first fight.

If you ask me which side is better to be on, I would choose Fury's side because it's a more fun company, in my opinion. I think it’s a more exciting side, more entertaining. But if you’re asking me where I would put my money, I’d rather sit at another table because Usyk is a very tough opponent. Especially when he goes a few rounds with you, he gathers information and adapts to what needs to be done. And when he has time—which he does now—it becomes even harder.

The problem is that Usyk pushed Tyson Fury around in the first fight, something he had never done before in the heavyweight division. And if you look at Tyson Fury's size, what Usyk did was truly incredible. But if you come forward and act aggressively, Usyk loves that too—he can just beat you from all angles and work in his little ring inside the big ring.

How do you beat him? This is what I always told AJ: 'All you need to do is be aggressive, use your mass, and hit him.' But that's really not quite the right answer, is it? So I’m not sure what Fury can do to beat him. I think he needs to land punches and inflict damage. He really made him wobble in that fight, but he needs to do that more often. But if he tries to be more aggressive, he also opens himself up to counterattacks and could lose control due to Usyk's maneuvers," said Hearn.

In May, Oleksandr Usyk won a split decision against Tyson Fury, becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion (over 90.7 kg) in 25 years. The rematch is scheduled for December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.