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Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 is a bout that 'The Gypsy King' needs to do little in the way of adjustments, at least according to the man himself. Ahead of this weekend's blockbuster card, Fury's words have irked one of sport's most veteran voices in Ian Darke, who took to X to express his exasperation.
As Darke says it, Fury's take on the bout is evidence of pride and laziness, and that he ought to reevaluate the first fight, which Darke believes Fury lost handily. It's a bold statement given the split-decision nature of the bout. Nevertheless, Darke has opined that Fury isn't recognizing the threat that Usyk poses.
"I see Tyson Fury feels he has to do nothing different in his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. Smacks of complacency. He better had because he was well beaten in that first fight."
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Their first clash, which was contested for the undisputed heavyweight title on May 18, was extremely competitive, with both men finding moments of success. Fury, in particular, found his body shots highly effective, appearing to hurt Usyk at various points. However, the most defining moment of the fight belonged to the Ukrainian.
In round 9, Usyk hurt Fury badly, scoring a technical knockdown, as 'The Gypsy King' was kept on his feet by landing against the ropes. Fortunately for him, he survived Usyk's onslaught, but lost the bout. Initially, in the post-fight proceedings, he refused to accept the loss as legitimate.
In fact, Fury accused the judges of being sympathetic to Usyk as his home country of Ukraine is embroiled in a brutal war with Russia.
Tyson Fury suffered his first-ever professional loss against Oleksandr Usyk
The loss to Oleksandr Usyk earlier this year wasn't just any defeat. It was the first of Tyson Fury's professional career, as he had previously been unbeaten at 34-0-1, with his previous closest brush with loss being when Deontay Wilder scored vicious knockdowns of him in their trilogy.
Check out Oleksandr Usyk's knockdown of Tyson Fury:
Now, Fury will look to avenge the loss, but will have a tall task ahead of him, as Usyk represents his toughest challenge to date and the only man to have ever beaten him under professional rules.
