Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk 2 is scheduled for Dec. 21, 2024, and it will be the most important fight of the former’s career. Back in May, ‘The Gypsy King’ was dethroned from his self-perceived perch atop the heavyweight division when he faced the legendary Ukranian.
Their bout was contested for Fury’s then-WBC heavyweight title and Usyk’s WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ringheavyweight straps. In a blockbuster attraction that saw both men take each other to the absolute limit, Usyk badly hurt Fury late in the fight to secure a split-decision win in his favor.
The first loss cost Fury his undefeated record. A second loss, however, would be catastrophic for several reasons. Come fight night, ‘The Gypsy King’ will have to summon every ounce of skill in his repertoire if he hopes to regain the heavyweight throne.
#5. It would reinforce the anti-Tyson Fury rhetoric of his detractors
A criticism that has followed Tyson Fury throughout his entire career is that he does the least amount of work for the largest sum of money. Ahead of his first bout with Oleksandr Usyk, he said as much, scoffing at any talk of legacy. Thus, many have accused him of avoiding tough matchups in favor of easy ones.
Besides fighting a limited but dangerous power puncher in Deontay Wilder thrice and beating an over-the-hill Wladimir Klitschko, he hasn’t faced many notable top-level names. In his detractors’ minds, this is allegedly because Fury is aware that he’s not good enough to beat the best of the best.
This is why he hasn’t faced the likes of Anthony Joshua, Zhilei Zhang, Daniel Dubois, and others. A second loss to the Ukranian phenom would only reinforce this rhetoric and further damage his image.
