Fury Warned Against Changing His Corner For The Usyk Rematch – ‘You Lost, Get Better’

Jai Opetaia has advised Tyson Fury to keep the same corner for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. 

Fury lost the first fight via a split decision as Usyk became the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. Fury was outboxed for most of the fight, although he did have a strong period in the middle rounds. Usyk almost knocked out Fury in round nine, only for the referee to intervene by imposing a standing-eight count. After the fight, Fury felt he had done enough to win.

He alleged that Usyk got the decision due to Ukraine’s war with Russia. Fury also felt Usyk was an amateur boxer after having rewatched the fight. The main criticism from Fury’s side was the corner work. He had his lead trainer, SugarHill Steward, assistant trainer, Andy Lee and his father, John Fury.

While Steward and Lee were seen as the leading names, John Fury was overpowering the two. Fury admitted that if he knew he was behind in the fight, he would have pressed the action more. That led to calls for a major revamp of the Fury corner. But Opetaia urged Fury to keep his team intact. 

Fury’s Corner

“Everyone always wants to point the finger at someone when something goes wrong. ‘Oh, it is the corner’s fault, it is his fault or it is his fault’, mate, it is what it is. You lost a fight, go back to the gym and get better – as a team.

“If you keep changing your team just because something goes wrong, that is…stupid in my eyes. Obviously, you have got to make the right [decisions] and correct certain things if something is not working in the team, but if they believe that they are a good team, then we can’t just sit here from the outside and go, ‘Oh, he is having the same corner?’, like we know,” Opetaia said

“You don’t know, you ain’t been in their camp. Nobody has been in their camp, nobody is a part of their team, you only see what you want to see and you only hear what they want you to hear.

“I am looking forward to this rematch, even when he was saying that he thought he was ahead and that he was getting too comfortable in there, maybe he can go a bit deeper, maybe he can push himself a bit further,”

Opetaia was a name being mentioned as Fury’s sparring pattern for Usyk. Reports indicated that Opetaia left the sparring sessions early. He had been brought in to mimic Usyk’s style. Both have had bouts at cruiserweight, while they are also southpaws. It is alleged that Opetaia had dropped Fury, which was the reason why he was sent home.

Fury’s Chances

Opetaia has spoken about his desire to face Usyk at some point. That could only happen if Usyk dropped back down to cruiserweight. It is difficult to see Opetaia rise to heavyweight and compete with the big hitters. His advice may prove valuable for Fury, who intends to get revenge. However, it is tough to see how Fury can come out on top, given he had been training since last year before the fight in May. But Opetaia was still optimistic that Fury could do well. 

“You don’t know, you ain’t been in their camp. Nobody has been in their camp, nobody is a part of their team, you only see what you want to see and you only hear what they want you to hear.

“I am looking forward to this rematch, even when he was saying that he thought he was ahead and that he was getting too comfortable in there, maybe he can go a bit deeper, maybe he can push himself a bit further.

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