The legendary Briton believes that the “Gypsy King” should bet on uppercuts.
Former absolute world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis shared his expectations for the upcoming rematch between WBA, WBO, WBC and IBO title holder Oleksandr Usyk and former champion Tyson Fury.
The famous British boxer advised his compatriot to throw uppercuts more often, since he considers this to be the Ukrainian's weak spot.
Lennox also noted that Usyk and Fury both have a high boxing IQ and their own trump cards that they will use in the upcoming fight.
“Usyk is constantly moving, he is difficult to hit, and he knows what to do. He gets close, throws a quick punch, and then moves away to a safe distance. Both boxers have a high boxing IQ. Fury has a size advantage, moves well and needs to use his jab.
I like Tyson to put on a little bit more weight, maybe he’ll come out a little heavier this time. He’s always been a good fighter, even with the extra weight. It allows him to push a smaller guy away and put pressure on him. There are a lot of different things Fury can do to keep Usyk off balance and make it difficult for him to win.
In the first fight, Tyson caught Usyk with an uppercut a few times. So if you were to ask me how I would fight Usyk, I would throw good uppercuts because he’s vulnerable to them. That’s how I would fight this fight.
Is Alexander vulnerable to punches to the body? Anyone can be vulnerable to punches to the body. But if everyone says this, then the fighter usually works on protecting the body. He wants everyone to think: “My body is strong, and if they aim for the body, they will get an answer in an instant,” Lewis said in an interview with BoxNation.
The Usyk-Fury rematch will take place on December 21 in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). All the titles that the Ukrainian boxer holds will be on the line.
Unlike the first fight, this time the title of absolute world champion will not be at stake, since Alexander had previously renounced the IBF title. Now it is owned by Briton Daniel Dubois, who has already managed to defend it by knocking out his compatriot Anthony Joshua.
Recall that on the night of May 19, 2024, Usyk defeated Fury by split decision in a fight for the title of absolute world heavyweight champion. At the end of the ninth round, Alexander knocked his opponent down.
Thus, Alexander defended the WBO, WBA, IBO and IBF belts, and also took the WBC title from the “Gypsy King”. Usyk became the first absolute world champion in the heavyweight division in the 21st century.
Before that, the last “absolute” heavyweight champion was Lennox Lewis, who won this status in 1999, when he defeated Evander Holyfield. At that time, the WBA, WBC and IBF titles were at stake. The WBO belt was recognized as equal in 2007, so Usyk became the first “absolute” heavyweight champion in history with four main titles.
