Lennox Lewis: "Now Usyk Knows He Can Hurt Fury"

Former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis was asked whether the knockdown Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) suffered in the first fight against Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) might affect him in the rematch.

According to the legendary Briton, Usyk now knows he has the power to hurt Fury and will likely aim to finish the job this time.

“Did the ninth round leave a scar? Yes, of course. I mean, one of the fighters got hurt in that bout, and it wasn’t Oleksandr Usyk—it was Tyson Fury. And now Oleksandr Usyk knows he can hurt Tyson Fury.

Last time, he almost finished him. He nearly had him. This time, he’ll probably try to knock him out, knowing he has the ability to hurt him,” Lewis said.

The rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury is set for December 21 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In their first fight, Usyk won via split decision, becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion (over 90.7 kg) in 25 years. Lewis was the last to hold that status, defeating Evander Holyfield by unanimous decision in their November 1999 rematch.