By Geno McGahee
In 1999, Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, but then the sanctioning bodies started their dirty tricks and split it up. It’s taken 25 years to reach a point where we can say that we have one heavyweight champion in a fight that could go either way with neither man knowing what a defeat is.
WBC/Lineal Champion, Tyson Fury, 34-0-1, 24 KO’s, puts his title and recognition on the line as WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO Champion, Oleksandr Usyk, 21-0, 14 KO’s, in the “Ring of Fire” Saudi Arabia showdown. It’s a battle of sizes, a battle of styles, a battle of motivations and there is some bad blood. This fight has it all and it is going down this Saturday on pay per view.
In 2015, Fury upset the long-reigning champion, Wladimir Klitschko, to take the IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO titles but it was the rise before the fall. Fury would leave the sport on top of the world after drug, alcohol and weight problems. His story was sure to end in tragedy, but he turned it around and came back after three years to return to the ring and create an amazing new chapter.
After two unimpressive return fights, Fury stepped into the ring with the then WBC heavyweight kingpin, Deontay Wilder, and survived being nearly knocked out to earn a draw. He would go onto win a trilogy with Wilder and gain a lot of goodwill from the public, but some of that has changed. The fans wanted Fury to face Usyk, but that wasn’t going to happen, even when Usyk agreed to very lopsided terms. The fights that were given were the hugely mismatched third bout with Derek Chisora and unexpectedly difficult match with UFC star, Francis Ngannou. The apparent refusal to give the public what it wanted has put Usyk in as the fan favorite going into Saturday.
Usyk is a tremendous fighter that draws comparisons to Evander Holyfield. Much like the “Real Deal”, he has moved up after conquering the cruiserweight division to take heavyweight gold. Usyk outclassed Anthony Joshua twice and knocked out Daniel Dubois in his last fight. Considering that both Joshua and Dubois were British heavyweights, the Fury fight becomes very important for the British fans, especially those that want the big fight between Fury and Joshua.
There are two things to address going into fight night that seem to be coming up as big factors going into this fight:
FRANCIS NGANNOU
Tyson Fury was roughed up, knocked down and nearly defeated by a guy in his first professional fight. Some had Ngannou ahead on points at the end of ten rounds and it’s fair to say that he did far more damage than Fury. The comments that Fury was shot or that his head wasn’t in the game was thrown around, but Fury clearly underestimated Ngannou and, for the first time, he let the event get to him.
In the first round, Fury went frantically for the knockout. He did not have confidence in himself in this fight and paid for it. He had enough boxing experience to outpoint the UFC champion, but his reputation took a big hit and there are questions going into it. This fight, followed up by rumors of being dropped in sparring, made many contend that he is not cut out for the game anymore.
THE DANIEL DUBOIS LOW BLOW/BODY SHOT
In his last fight, Usyk was the floor but it was determined to be a low blow. The Dubois camp was not happy, insisting that it was a body shot and when you watch the replay, it’s very difficult to say with any confidence either way. Whatever the case, this situation opens up the idea that Fury can easily win this upcoming fights with body shots and that Usyk will crumble like he did with Dubois.
Although these fights are a focus and there is an argument to be made, I think both fights can be thrown out as we head into this fight. Fury was not himself in the Ngannou fight and if the referee called the shot a body shot, Usyk would have gotten up and won the fight in the same manner he ended up doing.
RED FLAGS
The Ngannou fight can be thrown out, but maybe not entirely. The fight postponements raise concerns for Fury. The fact that Fury made demands prior to Saudi Arabia coming into play and Usyk accepted only to be ignored. If Fury is on the downside of his career, this fight could be a “cash in and hope for the best” sort of match.
The big red flag that I see is Tyson’s father, John Fury, head-butting an Usyk fan unprovoked. After the Ngannou fight, John said that he wasn’t happy with his son and his mindset going in. A head-butt to an Usyk supporter seems like an act of fear. It may tell us that Tyson might be fit physically but not mentally for this one.
THE FIGHT AND PREDICTION
This fight is so hard to predict, but no matter what Tyson Fury we see, I believe we will see the best Usyk we’ve ever seen. He is not only fighting for his legacy, he sees this fight as a bigger thing. He is seeing this fight as a fulfillment of destiny and is doing it for his country that has been under attack. This is the most difficult fight that Fury has ever faced and when you toss in his difficulty with smaller and quicker fighters, he’s got his work cut out for him.
When the bell rings, I expect Fury to move and keep distance and make Usyk pay when he tries to get in. Fury is much taller and has 7 inches in reach advantage and exploiting that has to be part of the big plan to unify the titles. It’s his best path to a victory.
Usyk will be more aggressive than usual in this fight. I see him looking to exploit any doubt that Fury might have and closing the gap, doing damage when Fury is against the ropes. Fury might be able to duck and dodge with his hands down with inferior opponents, but Usyk has timing and accuracy and can find his mark.
When the bell rings, the fight will be edge of your seat excitement. Fury is no stranger to hitting the canvas and he is no stranger to rallying back to win. Usyk is so confident and is coming in bigger to be stronger that it’s pretty obvious that bringing power is part of this game. We will most likely see both men hurt and both men down in this.
Predicting this fight is very difficult but it’s one of those heart versus head things. My heart is screaming Uysk wins, but my head leans to the bigger man, Fury. Fury will have to overcome a lot of obstacles to find a sustained path of attack. He will try to find any weakness in the body of Usyk and maybe there is.
Fury might start on the outside but as Usyk gets frisky, he will go into attack mode. Size will matter and Usyk will get bullied and eventually he will not be able to fend off the Fury. Fury will smell blood and use a combination of body shots and eventual uppercuts to batter Usyk down. This is a Riddick Bowe-Evander Holyfield sort of fight, where a great big man will beat a great smaller man. Fury will impose his size and will become the undisputed champion on Saturday.
