Tyson Fury Plans to Add Weight Before Rematch With Oleksandr Usyk

While 2024 is quickly winding down, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have made sure there is still plenty for boxing fans to have their eyes on. When the two men meet on Dec. 21 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Fury is expected to come in heavier than the first meeting between the two men. This decision signals that Fury may be trying to reuse old tactics to regain his championship belts.

During Fury’s trilogy of fights with Deontay Wilder, Fury leaned on his size to wear down the powerful American. But Usyk is different. The Ukrainian fighter had plenty of cruiserweight experience, and online boxing news shows he is much more agile than the typical heavyweight.

Usyk doesn’t need to have tremendous power to win fights. He is capable of wearing down his opponents with his skill and accuracy. How Fury approaches this rematch will say much about how much he has left in the tank.

Was Fury Ever Really Planning to Fight Top-Level Heavyweights Again?

Fury first mentioned retiring in 2014, but that was due to injury issues that later resolved themselves. Fury announced his retirement again after a knockout win over Dillian Whyte in April 2022.

While the retirement only lasted eight months, there was some doubt that Fury was ever as seriously engaged with the sport as he was during his first run. When Fury retired after his win over White, he said he wanted to be like Rocky Marciano and retire with an undefeated record. Since Fury returned, he had picked up wins over lightly-regarded Derek Chisora and MMA superstar Francis Ngannou.

Fury’s first match with Usyk in May was a split decision, but to many observers, the Ukrainian clearly won. Usyk scored the only knockdown of his fight and used his more accurate punching to keep Fury off balance.

The boxing news latest headlines show that Fury’s career may be trending in the direction of another fading British heavyweight.

Joshua’s Career is Adrift

There is no one more interested in the top of the heavyweight division than people who follow Anthony Joshua’s latest boxing news. Joshua, like Fury, is a British boxer headed toward his late 30s. While it is still possible that Joshua could have solid performances, his recent resume doesn’t scream future heavyweight champion.

In September, Joshua was knocked out in the fifth round by up-and-coming British fighter Daniel Dubois, who was eager to try and challenge the winner of Usyk and Fury to unite the heavyweight titles. Joshua’s last win was a second-round knockout of Ngannou in March 2024.

Joshua lost a pair of matches to Usyk in the past five years and may need more wins to climb the ladder. Many people have always desired to see Fury and Joshua fight each other. While that fight has yet to happen, another loss for Fury may be one of the last big money fights on the table for Fury and Joshua.

Usyk Won’t Let Fury Bully Him

Usyk didn’t spend most of his boxing career fighting heavyweights. While Usyk was the 2012 gold medalist at heavyweight, he spent most of his professional career at cruiserweight. When Usyk made the move up from the lighter weight class, many people were unsure of how things would go.

But Usyk has a level of passion and determination many other people don’t have. Usyk has a singular focus on boxing. Given what has gone on in his home nation, plus the wealth he has accumulated in boxing, there would have been plenty of reasons for Usyk to be distracted.

But he hasn’t been. That is dangerous for Fury.

How Heavy is Too Heavy

The rumor is that Fury wants to come in for the fight at around 273 pounds. What Fury would like to do is use that extra weight to lean on his opponent and try to bully him in the clinch. Usyk weighed in for the first fight at 223.5 pounds, while Fury was 262.

Fury would like to be around 11 pounds heavier for the rematch. This will be an interesting change of strategy for Fury and will put his cardio at risk. During the first fight, Fury was the more active fighter. He attempted 89 more punches but landed at a considerably lower percentage.

Fury landed 32 percent of his total punches thrown, while Usyk came in at 42 percent. Fury focused a lot more on trying to control the fight with his jab, while Usyk stacked up on power punches.

Will This Fight Sell?

I don’t understand why the first fight between the two men didn’t sell. This was the first fight for an undisputed title in nearly 20 years. Part of the problem may be a lack of interest from the American audience.

Having a fight in the middle of the day on a Saturday is a tough sell for American audiences in May. Many people are doing things outdoors or have other activities that make it difficult to sit down for a fight card in the Middle East. The first fight between Fury and Usyk sold 1.5 million pay-per-view buys and brought in over $50 million.

But ESPN, which sold the pay-per-view in the United States, said the revenue didn’t cover expenses. Fury and Usyk have been more creative in promoting this fight. It will be interesting to see if their efforts can bring in a larger audience.

They will still face the challenge of trying to draw an audience in the middle of the day and around the holidays. But this should be a fun contest, and Fury’s change of tactics could produce some magic.

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.

By Dean McHugh.