Top Rank President on Usyk vs. Fury: "That Left Hook Changed Everything"

Todd DuBoef, President of Top Rank Boxing and co-promoter of former world champion Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs), shared his thoughts on his fighter’s rivalry with WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titleholder Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs).

"I don’t know what games Tyson might play, but in my opinion, he’ll need to stay intensely focused for all 12 rounds. These athletes are trained, disciplined, and they’ve seen it all. They have courage, determination, and a strong will. Tyson will have to keep his game at a high level to affect Usyk physically. Mentally, he won’t break him.

Usyk is extraordinary. He’s shown himself to be an outstanding fighter, an incredible heavyweight who transitioned up from cruiserweight, and it seems almost impossible to unsettle him mentally.

Does Fury have a chance to beat Usyk? Looking back at their first fight, Tyson landed body shots, he did, but then he took that left hook, and everything changed.

I was stunned—I thought Tyson’s physical advantage seemed considerable early in the fight. But after he took that shot, it all just vanished: his reach and size became irrelevant, and he found himself backing up to the ropes. I felt Tyson let him slip off the hook," DuBoef remarked.

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