Analysis

Oleksandr Usyk knows Tyson Fury's weakness - and that's the 'problem', says former world champion Johnny Nelson

The rematch with Oleksandr Usyk is "a lot more personal now" for Tyson Fury, says Sky Sports boxing expert and former world champion Johnny Nelson: "Fury knows now it's about all his skills, all his ability, experience and the fight that he's got left inside him"

Johnny Nelson

Boxing Expert & Columnist

Friday 29 November 2024 17:04, UK

Oleksandr Usyk has the power, the pace and the plan to beat Tyson Fury, says Sky Sports boxing expert and former world champion Johnny Nelson…

You can tell Fury doesn't like to play second fiddle to anybody. I'm quite sure this is a lot more personal now for Tyson Fury no matter how he tries to look at it, because now he's come up against a guy that he can't intimidate. He's come up against a guy that just doesn't give him anything.

Fury knows now it's about all his skills, all his ability, experience and the fight that he's got left inside him. That's got to be enough because if it isn't, it's quite clear this fight will probably go shorter than the last fight did.

Now Usyk's tasted his strength, his speed, his pace once, he has a better measure of him.

Remember what he did with Anthony Joshua. Anthony Joshua tried the same tactics as Fury, tried to outbox him, outsmart him and then in the second fight, even though AJ's performance was great, Usyk's performance was better. It was more calculated and it will be the same here.

Now he has the measure of the man in Tyson Fury, he knows that Tyson Fury is probably going to try and jump on him. Use his strength, use his size, use his physicality, which is what he should have done in the first place and that's what he needs to do now.

Tyson needs to make sure that, combined with his boxing ability, puts the pressure on him from the off. Because the longer the fight goes, there's more chance of him not being able to maintain that constant pressure, that physical pace on Usyk. Whereas Usyk, what he said in the first fight was: I'm not going to leave you alone. I'll make you work for your supper and that's what he did.

Usyk knows he can now hurt Fury. Usyk now knows he has the power, he has the pace and he has the game plan, to get the better of Fury and Fury does too. This is the problem because Fury's never ever been in this state as a professional fighter ever.

I thought Fury would be too sharp, too smart, too big for him in the first fight. But he ended up outsmarting himself. Usyk just wouldn't leave him alone, made him work constantly on the backfoot, the frontfoot.

Fury was trying to be busy looking good, trying to outbox him, outsmart him.

You can be too smart but then you can be 'three smart', three smart is when you're out-smarting yourself.

But Usyk was consistent, persistent and he kept him on the backfoot.

He caught Usyk a few times and hurt Usyk. But Usyk dug deep and still kept the pressure on because he thought I've got to test his heart. Tyson all of a sudden had to get serious because when he got hit and when he got staggered, with that left hand he got him and Usyk knew it.

Usyk's a pretty good finisher and he was pounding away on Fury and the referee did Fury a massive favour when in reality he should have let the fight go on until either stopping it or letting him go down and get a count.

This is about skill versus skill, the best vs the best and you've got two very smart, accomplished fighters that are in there. It's just that one's game plan was better than the other.

Tyson Fury got complacent. Tyson Fury thought nobody can touch me and that's where most champions, most fighters fall by the wayside.

You cannot be complacent at the top of the tree.

Don't miss Riyadh Season: Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury 2 on December 21 live on Sky Sports Box Office