Tyson Fury’s aggression against Oleksandr Usyk’s late show – where the fight will be won and lost

Tyson Fury has claimed he will push Oleksandr Usyk into an “injured closet” as he looks for “destruction and damage” in their rematch in Riyadh. It suggests that the British fighter will open the affair more aggressively this time.

After what has been a tame build-up, now for the match. There is so much at stake; pride, honor and even disgrace, for the winner and the loser. Victory for the Ukrainian, and he is exalted as the king of time. Triumph for Fury and we reopen the debate about his place at the summit once again.

The competition is complex and will come down to the finest margins.

‘No showboating’

There is so much to take away from the first brutal, exciting 12 rounds between these two. In the middle period of their first meeting – Fury’s most successful period of the fight – he used his long, powerful jab and landed hurtling uppercuts to the Ukrainian’s body. It halted Usyk’s progress and his ability to move Fury into positions to land his slick strikes.

But in rounds eight and nine, that strategy went awry for Fury as Usyk used his footwork to find success with his dangerous, mostly left-handed strikes. Armed with a new game plan, Fury must deploy the arsenal that served him best in May: that means not fighting free in the early rounds, and as his promoter Frank Warren told Telegraph Sports “no showboating this time.”

During Thursday’s packed press conference – where the boxers faced each other for almost 11 and a half minutes – Fury lit up. When they went face to face, the two refused to budge an inch before Fury finally let loose with a verbal assault.

It was Fury who was boiling over and maybe he needed it. Fury’s mood has been the talk of the town all week. He has been a changed characteralmost take a vow of silence, without difficulty or insults. Until then, Fury hadn’t given anything away, but the ‘Gypsy King’ is clearly keen to use what former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has urged him to do in the build-up to this exciting rematch: “force weight and size advantages” and be “a threat” from the opening bell. Easier said than done against a lesser fighter with exquisite footwork and precise combination punches, but Fury will never have a more important fight in his already decorated career.

Go on Wilder’s side

Fury has to force himself, meet Usyk in the middle of the ring and let his heavy hands go. That’s what the Briton did in the second fight of a trilogy with Deontay Wilder, after a controversial draw in their first meeting in Los Angeles in 2018. Fury went after Wilder and stopped the American in seven wild rounds. Long jabs, clever feints and head movement and landing the long right hand.

That, after a camp of hard sparring and an increase in strength and conditioning for this dust-up in the desert, is what Fury needs again. It could also be a gamble if Usyk is there in the final third of the match, one period in which the Ukrainian excels. There is so much at stake here for both fighters. Should Fury be wary of what Usyk did to him in the ninth round last time when he came close to knocking the Brit out? Maybe, but it’s early in the fight for Fury to crank up the changes.

Goes the distance

There is another consideration: the outcome this time may depend on how much Fury has left in his legs, and with his physicality, despite being the slightly younger man.

Fury has to be the man to make the most adjustments. He’s definitely ready, and it’s been there in his demeanor during fight week – bearded and ready to be the better man this time.

However, Usyk has carried himself like a champion out in Saudi Arabia, and looks confident. They both have brilliant fight IQ, which makes this second match so potentially exciting.

If Fury starts faster and advances more and throws his jab early, hard and fast, he can win a tight decision. That’s assuming he keeps that left hand up in his guard, which he didn’t do in the first game.

Still, Usyk is undeniably a master general in the ring and has the skills to repeat his brilliant performance seven months ago. The Ukrainian looks bigger this time, knowing that Fury may well look to use his body more. He also has the knowledge that he almost stopped Fury in the first fight.

All of this makes this fight so inevitable. It feels like we’re getting a very close fight again and both men look ready.

Could this be the last fight for Fury if he wins? No one knows if the fantasy fight with Anthony Joshua will ever happen, no matter how much we want to see them dance. Then there is the prospect of a trilogy fight with Usyk. So much will be answered when these modern day greats collide in the Kingdom Arena.

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