Fans are questioning whether Tyson Fury can rematch unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk without trimming his long beard in their headliner at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
Fury’s face enhancement
The beard could be a way for Fury to cushion the blows that he will be hit by Usyk to avoid being knocked out. To have one Paul Bunyan lumberjack beard can save Fury from being knocked out by Usyk, giving him a chance to win on the scorecards.
It’s not exactly fair if Fury has a beard that is a defense like the historic one Maginot Line. Will Usyk have to find a way to defeat this defensive fortification? Does the beard defense hold up under the strategic attacks from Usyk?
Undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev is allowed to fight with a beard, but he’s not the same length as Fury, and he’s had no trouble taking hard shots the way the Gypsy King has.
“Knock him out. That’s what I and [trainer] Sugar[Hill Steward] plan, get him out of there,” Tyson Fury told Fight Hub TV, revealing his basic goal for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night.
“I did everything great last time. I didn’t get it. It was a close fight. This time it will be a different fight. I want to be a different person, a different fighter. I was 40% last time. 110% this time.
“Not really. I did a little bit of sparring, but not as much as I wanted to. Let’s face it. I’m not going to make any excuses, but let’s just say the real Tyson Fury shows up on Saturday night. I think I’m going to knock him out. I don’t think I’m going to. I know I’m going to,” Fury said.
If Fury fails to knock Usyk out and he himself gets stopped, we’ll see if Turki Alalshikh is still interested in paying him big money for his fights because it would be his third real, true loss if you count , there should have been a defeat. vs. Francis Ngannou on October 28, 2023.
“When he comes to attack, I will definitely wipe him out. I have always been fearless in the water of the heavyweight division. I have proven it time and time again. I am here to put on a great show and regain everything that I have lost, ” Fury said.
Tyson’s resume is too limited to say he’s “always been fearless” during his career because the only two notable world-class fighters he’s faced and beaten were then-39-year-old Wladimir in 2015 and Deontay Wilder . Klitschko was clearly old and washed up, and Wilder was a shaky fighter whose best career win before the Fury fight was against 40-year-old Luis Ortiz.
Even in the case of Wilder, it’s fair to point out that he deserved two knockout wins over Fury in fights #1 and #3. The count that referee Jerry Reuss gave to Fury in the 12th round of the first fight was so crazy. In the third fight, Fury took what many believed to be a long count after being dropped by Wilder in round four. Fury has a checkered past in terms of avoiding defeats, with referees making strange calls that worked in his favor.
Fury’s weight
“I’m the heaviest I’ve been in years. I’m 295 lbs. Show me the money. I’m a prize fighter; that’s what I do. So Klitschko wants another hide. I’m the man to do it,” said Fury about Turki Alalshikh, who was allegedly interested in setting up a rematch between them.
Fury is obviously nowhere near 295 or even 280. His weight looks closer to 255 to 260. A fight against 48-year-old Wladimir Klitschko probably won’t be an option if Fury loses to Usyk on Saturday night; that would take away a lot of interest from the small number of fans who would want to see that fight.
