Khan and Groves don’t see eye to eye over the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk rematch
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set to clash in Saudi Arabia once again, just four days before Christmas, live on DAZN PPV.
The Ukrainian edged the Brit in the first fight back in May by the narrowest of margins on a split decision. Scoring a knockdown in round nine was the pivotal moment in the entire 12-round bout that swung the victory his way. Without that 10-8 round, the match would have ended in a draw.
Tyson is promising to do a demolition job, like he lived up to when he said the same thing for his rematch with Wilder. While Usyk, a cerebral fighter, is thought by many to have the Morecombe man’s number after 12-rounds of downloaded data and a left hook that couldn’t miss.
Amir Khan and George Groves both shared their views on the festive fight, but their predictions differed.
While Khan thinks that Fury will gain revenge, Groves believes that Usyk will have an even “clearer” victory in the rematch.
Former WBA World super-middleweight champion, George Groves, said, “I don’t think it’s a different outcome. I think Usyk beats him again.
“If I’m Fury, I’ve got to do something different. He needs to take the centre of the ring and drive his man back, be strong in his stance, and throw big, long, hard, straight shots. I’m not a huge fan of showboating, but if he lands something significant, celebrate it. That gets a reaction from Usyk, the crowd, and the judges. But celebrate when you’ve done something meaningful—not when you’re under fire or just making him miss. Celebrate when you hit him with something.
“If Fury fights like that, it becomes a much tougher challenge for Usyk, and we’ll see how Usyk adjusts. But based on the first fight, the wear and tear and mileage on both fighters, and where they are in their careers, Usyk is still the fresher fighter.
“Usyk nearly stopped him in the first fight. He’s not the type to think, “I almost had him last time; one big shot will finish it.” He knows it’s going to be a tough fight, as it always is for him. Usyk leaves no stone unturned, and I think it’s a clearer win for Usyk this time.”
Khan, however, disagreed with his fellow Brit, stating, “I have Tyson Fury winning this time. He’s the bigger guy so he will use his size, reach, and be a lot more smarter going into this fight. It’s not going to be easy because with Usyk having the win and the knockdown in the first fight, I’m sure he’s going to be going in with a lot of confidence because he knows Fury can get hurt.
“But I feel Fury will up his game as he always does and when pressure is on him, we will see the best Tyson Fury. I see Fury winning in December.
“One thing Tyson Fury can’t really do is walk Usyk down because he will hit you with those counter shots, that is what he is really good at whereas Wilder didn’t really have those counter shots. One thing about Usyk is, he is a really good boxer, he hits angles well and his footwork is amazing.
“For a heavyweight to have the footwork he has and the movement that he has, Usyk is still going to be a problem for Fury. But if Tyson sticks behind his jab and keeps moving, because Fury also has good footwork, he has to keep the angles and keep Usyk out of range because he is a good inside fighter. He doesn’t want to get too close, Fury’s power won’t work on the inside as much as it will long-range or mid-range.”
Fury vs Usyk 2 fight predictions
