Former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis believes Tyson Fury may still carry the mental and physical scars from his ninth-round ordeal against Oleksandr Usyk in their first meeting earlier this year.
That round was a turning point, with Usyk battering Fury around the ring, dropping him, and nearly forcing a stoppage. While Fury managed to survive and finish the fight, some observers felt the bout could have been stopped in Usyk’s favor during that moment. Lewis, who famously avenged knockout losses to Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman, knows how such moments can linger in a fighter’s psyche.
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“Of course [there will be scars from the ninth round],” Lewis said. “There’s only one guy who got hurt in that fight, and it wasn’t Oleksandr Usyk. It was Tyson Fury. And now Usyk knows he can hurt Fury. He almost knocked him out. This time, he’s probably going to be trying to knock him out, knowing he can hurt him.”
Usyk, who has already established himself as an undisputed champion in two weight divisions, enters the rematch with newfound confidence from his success in their first bout. Lewis predicts Usyk’s best strategy will be to maintain pressure and keep Fury off balance while using his trademark movement and precision to take control of the fight.
“Oleksandr Usyk knows Fury is coming to win. He has to work harder to make sure Fury doesn’t win. Usyk needs to keep him at bay but also go at him to ensure victory.”
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