Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk 2 fighter PREDICTIONS: Boxing royalty Eddie Hearn, Lennox Lewis and Barry McGuigan pick their winner in Saturday’s Riyadh showdown
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will face each other again on Saturday in Riyadh, just seven months after the Ukrainian defeated the Gypsy King via split decision – and the boxing world is eagerly predicting who will emerge victorious this time.
Usyk, who enters the Saudi showpiece as the undisputed champion of the heavyweight division, mounted a late charge to defeat his rival in the hard-fought bout in May.
The 37-year-old Ukrainian will be keen to extend his unbeaten winning streak to 23 with victory at the Kingdom Arena on Saturday.
Fury, 36, shocked fans this week by admitting he hasn’t spoken to his wife Paris in three months in a bid to stay focused on the task ahead, with father John confirming he was out of his depth during the fight corner because he was in May.
Considering that even the first fight took place before Usyk’s dominance in the final rounds, several high-profile names in world boxing have predicted the outcome of the December 21 fight, from former champions like Lennox Lewis to high-profile promoters like Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren.
Mail Sport looks at world boxing’s most notable predictions ahead of the seismic showdown.
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are all set to meet again on Saturday night
Usyk won their first fight in May to become the undisputed heavyweight champion
Frank Warren – Anger
Warren is confident Fury will win if he gets his opponent down early, vowing Saturday’s fight ‘won’t go all the way’.
Reflecting on May’s showpiece, the promoter has claimed Usyk fought aggressively to avoid exposing his weakness, suggesting it could be a curtain call for the Ukrainian if Fury gets the upper hand.
“What Usyk did in the last fight, he came out and put it on Tyson. And he supported him because he knew he had to support him,” Warren told Mail Sport exclusively.
‘But Tyson is not bad on the back foot. Usyk is not good on the back foot, so what will happen? As soon as the first bell rings, bang. One of them will have to try to conquer the center of the ring.
‘Both are going to try to push each other back. That’s why it’s going to be a good fight. And I tell you what, it won’t get to that point.’
Frank Warren (right) is confident his fighter will get revenge on Saturday night
Eddie Hearn – Anger
Hearn believes Saturday’s fight will be extremely close and insisted there will be plenty of close rounds – but has narrowly given Fury the edge.
He admits to going back and forth between the two, Hearn said iFL TV: ‘If Fury wins – and I’m actually leaning towards him, I have a bit of a [switch].
“Fury could fight AJ [Anthony Joshua] for the unified world heavyweight title. The biggest fight ever in sports. Wembley, Riyadh, wherever.”
Despite backing Fury, he admitted to Mail Sport earlier this week that ‘anything can happen’ given the ‘high-profile’ nature of the fight.
‘The reality is that it is a high-level sport; this is the elite where anything can happen on any given night. This fight will always be close,” Hearn said exclusively in an interview with Mail Sport.
“Unless someone lands a shot from the gods early, and the same goes for this Saturday, you’re not going to see a 10-2 fight in my opinion. You’re going to see a fight with close rounds, compelling.’
Eddie Hearn is backing fellow Brit Fury to get over the line this time
Lennox Lewis-Usyk
Lewis was the last undisputed heavyweight champion before Usyk equaled the feat in May, and the Briton has admitted he is struggling to see beyond the Ukrainian to get the job done again.
However, he believes Fury has the ability to overturn the result of the pair’s first fight in May.
“I can’t fight the undisputed world champion, a man who hasn’t lost yet,” Lewis told Mail Sport.
“But I will say they both have the same skills, and I usually pick the bigger guy. Tyson Fury, is he boxing the right fight, if he makes the right decisions in this fight he should win.”
Lennox Lewis thinks Fury has the ability to win but is backing Usyk to get his hand up
Carl Froch-Usyk
The former three-time world super-middleweight champion wants his compatriot to get revenge, but sides with Usyk to achieve another victory.
Froch told Mail Sport: ‘I want Tyson Fury to do so well, even though I’m a huge Usyk fan. But I just find it difficult to choose against Oleksandr Usyk. I think he’s that good.
But I think this will be the best we’ve seen from Tyson in a long time. He’s past his prime, but Usyk is 37.
“It’s going to be an exciting fight, it’s going to be brilliant, it’s going to ebb and flow, but I can’t take on Oleksandr Usyk, I just can’t.
Carl Froch wants Fury to win but thinks Usyk will have too much for him
Barry McGuigan-Usyk
Fresh from I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! jungle, McGuigan has made a bold prediction about how Saturday’s fight will unfold.
In his column for the The mirrorthe 63-year-old wrote: “We know he (Fury) blows up between fights. He has had psychological problems. In my experience as a fighter, manager and coach, I don’t see him improving. Usyk is 37, but is a completely different animal.
Not only is Barry McGuigan backing Usyk to win, but he also expects Fury to be knocked out
“A world-class athlete who doesn’t blow up between fights. He’s even talking about a return to cruiserweight. He is the better athlete who, even as an amateur, took a professional, disciplined approach. He is always in shape and dedicated to the sport.
‘Fury has a different way of doing things, which is fine, but doesn’t promote a long career. Furthermore, Usyk doesn’t pay attention to all the disruptions. He just shows up to fight. Each. Single. Time.
‘That’s why he’s undefeated and why I don’t believe Fury will hear the final bell. Not only is Usyk a phenomenal athlete, he also has Fury’s number.
‘Fury normally has both speed and size against his opponents, but Usyk can handle big opponents and has more speed. He’s a miracle.’
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