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Tyson Fury will fight Oleksandr Usyk next.
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The rematch for three of the four world heavyweight titles will take place on 21 December 2024.
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If he wins, Fury could then become the undisputed king if he defeats the winner of Joshua vs Dubois next.
With one blemish on his fight record, Tyson Fury at least has a shot at levelling the slate with a rematch lined up for the end of 2024.
The towering British boxer will get a second shot at a collection of world titles, but to take the top spot of the division, he’ll need a very different game plan to last time.
Here, we’ll size up Fury’s next opponent, Oleksandr Usyk, how the last bout went down, and what Fury needs to do to try to win in December.
Who Is Tyson Fury’s Next Opponent?
Tyson Fury’s next opponent is the 22-0-0 Oleksandr Usyk, who defeated Fury in May 2024 to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world in the four-belt era and since Lennox Lewis way back in 1999.
Standing 6’3’’, the former unified cruiserweight champion is considered to be a more undersized heavyweight, and when they last met, his 223lbs weigh-in was dwarfed by Fury’s 6’9’’, 262lb frame – which was light for Fury.
Yet, it was Usyk who’d work his way to doing significant damage in the biggest heavyweight fight since the turn of the millennium.
While the Ukrainian’s pendulum-style footwork, quick guard, and head movement are the most praised aspects of his game, there isn’t any doubt that when he finds himself with an opening, he can connect flush and with power.
As a heavyweight, Usyk’s retired Chazz Witherspoon and knocked out Daniel Dubois, while his early rumble with Derek Chisora and the two against Anthony Joshua ended in decision victories.
Even if Usyk can’t find the opening for a knockout, he can dazzle in the other elements of boxing, making opponents miss, stopping meaningful shots from coming through, and wearing down his foes over the rounds.
It’s because of his uncanny ability not to fade as a fight progresses that, when all’s even, it’s tough not to side with Usyk. In the boxing betting, Usyk opens the odds as the 8/15 favourite.
What Happened In Tyson Fury’s Last Fight?
In Tyson Fury’s last fight, he lost by split decision to Oleksandr Usyk with all four major world heavyweight belts on the line. The judges scored it 115-112, 114-113, 113-114 in favour of the Ukrainian.
Approaching the fight, Fury was coarse as ever, while Usyk was the much more humble and measured of the two in interviews and surrounding commentary. Still, we did get some more famed quotes from the big man.
It was a cautious start to the colossal bout for both pugilists, giving the judges the unenviable task of scoring the rounds.
Fury would fight on the back foot, circling away while trying to establish the jab and hit counters to the body where possible. For the most part, Usyk was swift to block the more meaningful shots.
Usyk was more active, being invited to go on the front foot – which he’s somewhat unaccustomed to in this division in recorded bouts – and in round four, Fury looked to make his breakthrough.
A few body shots and some uppercuts from his rangey right got through, seemingly breaking Usyk’s rhythm and giving Fury the edge. The Brit pushed on and looked the more dominant over the next few rounds.
Seeing the rounds slip, Usyk stepped up another gear in the eighth and found a huge, potentially fight-deciding straight left towards the end of the ninth. Fury was absent after that hit.
He went straight into instinct mode, swaying on the ropes, blocking his head, and trying to skip out of range. Usyk threw 14 punishing and unanswered hits before the ref rightly called a knockdown.
In the tenth, Fury looked to have recovered enough to go toe-to-toe again. A split-decision victory for Usyk offered a fair outcome, seeing the Ukrainian defy the odds.
What Does Tyson Fury Need To Do To Beat Usyk?
Since the rumble in Riyadh, Fury has been dipping back into his pool of bravado, saying that he “probably had too much fun” and that “it was too easy… [like being] in there with a local amateur boxer.”
In response, Usyk has said that the fight was hard for the now-unified champion because Fury’s “a big man, a good boxer, with a good boxing IQ.” He then told his next opponent, “Don’t be afraid – I will not leave you alone.”
It would seem that, in Fury’s mind, he just needs to concentrate more and focus on the fight. After all, in his rematch with Deontay Wilder, he worked on himself and came out a much more refined and focused fighter.
Perhaps a similar approach could be taken against Usyk in the rematch. Fury could come out firing, be on the front foot from the first bell, and smother Usyk with his long arms and hefty frame, digging in shots up close.
If successful, this approach would quickly see the sports betting odds swing in Fury’s favour, stopping Usyk from looking like the better boxer at the very least.
Tire out Usyk, stop him from being able to step in and out while peppering shots, and look for the big knockout hits later on when the Ukrainian is, potentially, more fatigued.
That said, Usyk’s engine hasn’t faltered yet, has proven to be mighty enough to sustain some huge shots from fighters like Joshua and keep on going.
As well as this, counterpunching while on the back foot is a big part of Usyk’s game. It might even be the style in which the Ukrainian is at his most comfortable and assured – especially as he can switch to attack mode in an instant.
Fury can try to smother to take away his opponent’s weapons, like against Wladimir Klitschko and in Wilder-Fury II, but just one miss-timed advance could see Usyk slip in on the inside and do some real damage very quickly.
Usyk is an incredibly well-rounded boxer, from his movement to his choice of punches. It’d take the best Fury to beat Usyk this time, especially as the Ukrainian looked to have the measure of Fury by the back half of the last bout.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Alamy*
