Mike Tyson has made his prediction for the much-anticipated rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury – and has even shared some advice for ‘The Gypsy King’ as he tries to bounce back from the first defeat of his professional career.
Fury and Usyk met for the first time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia back in May, with the Brit coming out on the wrong end of a split-decision loss on the judges’ scorecards after 12 absorbing rounds of action. The Morecambe man later suggested he had been harshly treated by the scores, but he was arguably lucky not to be stopped in the ninth round as his opponent had him reeling on the ropes.
The pair will renew their rivalry when they step into the ring on the 21st of December with the vast majority of the major belts in the division on the line. Few know more about what it takes to be successful at the top of the heavyweight ranks than ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson. The 58-year-old still holds the distinction of being the youngest fighter ever to hold the world heavyweight championship and is still beloved for his exploits inside the ring today.
The legendary slugger native recently shared his views on the rematch between Usyk and Fury in an interview with talkSPORT – and was openly critical of his namesake for his decision-making during the first fight.
Mike Tyson’s Advice to Tyson Fury Ahead of Usyk Rematch
‘Iron Mike’ criticised Fury for ‘playing around’ during the first fight
Tyson hopes that Fury can reverse the result from the pair’s first clash, but was far from impressed with his showboating in the contest. He explained:
“Hey listen, Usyk surprised everybody. I think Fury played around too much, I think he needs to be taking this fight seriously and hopefully we get a different result to last time!”
Fury agreed with Tyson’s assessment during an interview with ESPN, where he conceded: “I did a lot of showboating, a lot of messing around – more than I’ve ever done before, actually – against supposedly my toughest opponent.
“I did a lot of f****** around and it ended up costing me. The only adjustments will be on fight night where I keep more focused and less clowning in the ring.”
Tyson Fury’s professional boxing record (as of 02/11/24) | ||
|---|---|---|
36 fights | 34 wins | 1 loss |
By knockout | 24 | 0 |
By decision | 10 | 1 |
Draws | 1 | |
Fury has successfully made adjustments in the past in rematches, adopting a front-foot approach in his second fight with Deontay Wilder to stun the American after the pair had drawn their initial bout. For all that the former lineal heavyweight champion has achieved in his career, though, a win over Usyk to regain the unified heavyweight crown would undoubtedly be the greatest accomplishment of his time inside the ring.
It’s a mountain that Mike Tyson wants to see him climb. Time will tell if Fury is able to become the first man ever to defeat Usyk in the paid ranks.