Bob Arum made the trek to Saudi Arabia because, like everyone else, he was keen to see his former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and undefeated three-belt heavyweight champion Oleksander on Saturday. What will happen in the rematch between Usyk?
“He’s in good spirits,” Arum told BoxingScene, “but honestly, he’s not a chicken anymore.”
Fury, 36, has fought in 242 professional boxing rounds, including a staggering six knockouts in his past nine fights.
These ranged from the most serious – a knockout blow from Deontay Wilder in the 12th round that left Fury briefly unconscious – to the most deadly – a violent attack and failure in the 9th round that led to Fury’s defeat on May 18. Lost the first Usyk fight by split decision.
Before that — and even after that, if you remember the video scene of Fury falling outside a bar in the days after Usyk’s defeat — Fury had a tough life, leading to his absence after 2015 It took three years to defeat long-time defending champion Wladimir Klitschko.
The 37-year-old Usyk, 22-0 (14 KOs), is actually a year older than Fury, but it doesn’t feel that way when you consider how the better boxer and undisputed champion in both weight classes has positioned himself It makes sense that Fury should adopt an aggressive fight plan and seek an early finish to the fight, unlike the man who languished seven months ago in the later rounds.
Arum agrees with the notion that the toll of so many fights could lead to Fury and Usyk retiring from the sport after Saturday’s fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“return, [consider] How much money did they make in those two games,” Arum said.
With Usyk positioned as the -150 betting favorite, those backing Fury pointed to the adjustments he made in response to his first fight with Wilder in 2018, when he knocked out the same in 2020 with a seventh-round TKO. personal.
Fury’s adjustments win Wilder rematch “That’s definitely the case. Whether that’s the case with Usyk, I just don’t know,” the 93-year-old Arum said.
“You won’t see disappointment [like the one in the first bout] He thought he had won the fight until Usyk jumped on him and knocked him down. I have [Fury] Winning every round except the one before…”
This is a tough and big test for everyone and it seems silly to predict what will happen next, but since this is boxing, even Arum has considered the situation.
He said Usyk would not be bound by the rematch clause if Fury wins the second fight.
“That battle [Fury] Looking to see if he beats Usyk [two-time heavyweight champion Anthony] Joshua… this fight has been talked about for as long as I can remember,” Arum said of the fight with two Britons that would fill any football stadium in the UK
Arum said Saudi Arabian boxing agent Turki Alalshikh was open to the idea of ​​staging Furious Joshua in the UK rather than a quiet, sanitized private residence in Saudi Arabia.
“I think Turki will be looking forward to this game when he goes to Wembley [Stadium],” Arum said.
Arum was asked: “Will that fight happen before the third Usyk fight?”
He replied: “Or instead of…”
“This is just speculation on my part. Even if Usyk beats, this could happen [Fury Saturday]”.
Former Olympic gold medalist Joshua had a years-long rivalry with his “Gypsy King” rival Fury, but Joshua was knocked out four times and stopped in the fifth round, squandering the opportunity for a title unification. IBF champion Daniel Dubois in September.
Fury’s ability to defeat Usyk and capture three belts in a Joshua showdown would certainly make this fight far more than a case where both former champions ended up losing.
However, the pent-up demand to see these two compete and the possibility of a fight between two men who are reckless enough to give up fighting still whets appetites.
