oleksandr usyk-tyson fury 2 prediction

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By: Sean Crose

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I’ll be honest: This is one of the toughest calls I’ve had to make in my decade-plus of writing about boxing. The truth is that the first fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk was so close – so far back and fourth – that it’s hard to decide which man is most likely to win tomorrow’s rematch in Saudi Arabia. While it’s true that Usyk won the first fight between these two future Hall of Famers last May, and in my opinion he won it fairly, there were moments in the fight where Fury was simply dominating his man . The same, of course, could be said of Usyk who walked out of the ring that evening in Saudi Arabia as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

So, who will win on Saturday when the two men face off for the second time? Like the first Usyk-Fury fight, the venue will once again be Saudi Arabia. Unlike the first fight, however, this time the undisputed world championship will not be at stake, because the undefeated Usyk is no longer the IBF champion. However, he has the WBA, WBO and WBC belts in his possession. Even without the IBF belt on the line, the winner of Usyk-Fury 2 will undoubtedly be the king of the heavyweight division.

Once again, though, who will win this weekend? My guess is Fury, simply because that’s what my gut tells me. Fury was knocked out in the first fight, and even though he beat the count, he had come very, VERY close to losing the fight via stoppage. I don’t expect Fury to let himself be tagged as much this time around. What I expect is for the imposing Englishman to be more aggressive at the start this time. Fury did the first part of his opening fight with Usyk very well. This time he will try to do even better. The more he is able to work on Usyk early, the harder it will be for Usyk to come back late, like he did in the first fight.

Not that I expect Usyk to be some kind of pushover. Along with Deontay Wilder, Usyk is undoubtedly Fury’s best opponent. And I expect him to land on Fury too, hard and often. As long as Fury can reduce the man’s power, however, it could turn into a long night for the reigning multi-belt champion. Let’s not forget that Furia seemed to shake Usyk once or twice in the first fight. If Fury maintains his energy, Usyk could be the one to fall in the second fight.