Tyson Fury’s sparring partner Kevin LeReina believes Fury is stronger and more explosive than when he first fought Alexander Usyk.
Following a thrilling fight in May, Fury will face Usyk again in a rematch for the WBA, WBO and WBC heavyweight titles in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
Lereina was one of Fury’s original sparring partners at Usyk’s training camp, during which he suffered an injury that forced a delay until May, and then helped Fury prepare to face Usyk again at the recent training camp in Malta Contest.
Fury has been vocal about how he plans to fit into their rematch and plans to knock Usyk out. Lereina has noticed noticeable physical changes since his scheduled fight with Fury.
“I can tell you he’s stronger than he was in the first camp,” Lereina told BoxingScene. “I’ll put it this way. He feels stronger and more explosive. That’s all I’m saying, yes, it’s a boxing match, but if you’re stronger and more explosive, you’re going to wear out More ammunition, more artillery.”
For all the differences Lereina saw in Fury’s physical attributes, the South African didn’t notice any changes when it came to his mentality.
“There’s no difference between Tyson then and Tyson now, he’s just as hungry,” Lerena said. “He works so hard. He’s a phenomenal fighter. He has a high boxing IQ and I think Tyson Fury’s Tyson Fury, I think you have to look at that because the first fight was a It was such a close fight that he didn’t do much wrong in training and he was winning until he probably got caught in the ninth round, which turned the tables.
“The first game was very close and you don’t want to make too many changes, so he’s worked hard in training camp and he’s looking good and explosive and I’m excited for Game 2 – I think it’s going to be It’s a great game.
“I can’t give you any kind of game plan or what he does in sparring, but I can tell you one thing, if you’re not on your A-game, you’re in for a bunch of shit. He is ‘The Gypsy King’; he’s been there a lot; he knows his way in the ring. He can fight back. He can box.
“So it’s whatever he wants to do that day, but if you’re not having your best game, you’re going to have your hands full. I can tell you that. So it’s not giving up too much.”
Fury spoke about how he locked himself away during training camp and how he didn’t speak to his wife Paris for more than three months. However, Lereina revealed that the Furies he trains with are in good spirits.
“He was always great to be around – always making people laugh,” Lerena said. “Obviously, it was very serious when we were training. He works very hard and I’m a hard worker myself, which is why I’m in training camp, because I’m here to push him to the harder limit. But he’s in A good space. He’s happy and obviously, as you can see on his social media, he’s having a lot of fun and enjoying his training and I think a dangerous guy is one who’s good at what he does. People who enjoy themselves.”
Fury has had more than one fight with three opponents in his career – John McDermott, Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder – and every fight ended with Fury’s complementary Ended with victory. Lereina believes that will be a convincing factor when he faces Usyk for the second time.
“I believe Tyson is going to beat him, you know, I really do,” he said. “We know Tyson Fury is back and he knows what to do in the rematch. The proof is in the pudding and the boxing record proves it. But I just think I knew the first fight was very close and Tyson showed Very good. So there is no reason why he can’t beat him in the rematch.
“He knows what he has to do now. Having said that, Usyk also knows what he’s facing. So both guys will be ready, but I think Tyson knows what he needs to do to win, and to be honest, I think That should work in his favor. I think Tyson stopped him; no one can stop Usyk, and I’m not dissing Alexander Usyk, he’s one of the greatest figures of our time, he’s phenomenal. fighter, but I think if there’s one person who can stop him, it’s Tyson Fury.”
