Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will fight for the unified heavyweight titles of the world on Saturday, live on Sky Sports box office.
Their WBC, WBA and WBO championship clash on the Riyadh Season bill will once again be a high-stakes battle of technical skill and physical prowess. But the mental duel between them will be crucial.
Fury usually has a mental edge on his opponents. But Usyk proved it was a match for him, winning a tight split decision in their first fight earlier this year.
Performance expert James A. King reported Sky Sports: “First of all you have to make a lot of assumptions about your opponent in elite sport and that's a skill and an ability in itself.
“But once you have the privilege of being in the ring with your opponent you have access to more data. I think then it's about who can interpret that best better. Who can learn them and be more suitable for that.
“Then psychology starts to influence technology. It's not about getting better anymore. It's about delivery.”
It's about how they manage their own thinking.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Roy Keane has joked that he would prefer to predict a fight between himself and Micah Richards before making a choice for the heavyweight division.
“Even elite fighters like Usyk and Fury experience every emotion under the sun over that 12-week camp coming into a fight like this. There is no such thing as elite performance without pressure. This is about Usyk vs. Usyk and Fury vs. Fury,” King said.
“So what I mean by that is they both have the technical ability to win this fight. I think it's going to come down to who can hold it together in the main game and get the most of their potential on fight night.”
Usyk and Fury are perfect foils for each other because of their completely different characters.
“Tyson Fury is just a really interesting person. He's a great person. He's a showman, he's charismatic. He's fun,” King said. .
“He's unpredictable, he can see between the lines, he's creative. One of the risks involved is that you can be impulsive and that's something Usyk could be trying to take advantage of.”
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Fury reveals if beating Usyk was the biggest comeback of his career
While Usyk is “the complete opposite”.
King explained: “He's introverted, he's very balanced, he's not too positive or negative.
“Of course you wouldn't describe him as an exhibitionist, he's very literal. A lot of yes/no answers. When you ask about his preparation, (he talks about) 'the regime', he likes order, structure, control.”
Fury has a tendency to stab previous opponents during pre-fight events. So far, though, Usyk seems immune to his mind games.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Johnny Nelson looks back on the first meeting between Usyk and Fury
“It's important not to read too much into some of these press conference comments at this stage. I think for both fighters this is not their first rodeo. I don't think Fury is going to be upset, it's not likely to make him move,” said the king.
“He talked about what he did well, he talked about the truth, split decision, one point (there), he talked about how he didn't focus as much as he could have.
“For me that is a sign that the man is possessed, that there is humility there. He may not have had a loss on his previous record, but he has certainly been criticized for his performances.
“It takes that adversity, that urgency and that pressure to see the best.”
It is clear that Usyk managed to perform at the highest level in the first fight.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Watch a selection of the best boxing matches with Ali v Frazier III, Barrera v Morales III and Pacquiao v Marquez IV. Cover courtesy of Top Rank
“He's been on the same journey as Fury as his life has been dedicated to this sport, 300+ non-professional fights. Olympic gold medalist, World Champion in amateur, he traveled the world competing at the highest level. He's going to want to do it himself. justice and he's got that unblemished record at this point in his career he's not going to let that one slip,” King said.
“I think the obvious thing is also this symbolic representation of physical prowess for his countrymen who look to him for some inspiration and confidence.”
But that doesn't mean Fury won't be able to get revenge.
“This fight has an almost mythological vibe. You have the two extreme ends of the psychological spectrum of the modern day warrior archetype in Usyk and Fury. You have chaos and order,” King said.
“Anger represents this chaos and then on the other hand Usyk and Usyk have this symbolic representation of order. Stock, it's almost robotic.
“I think when chaos meets order, sometimes chaos has an edge. “
Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury's epic heavyweight rematch will be live on Saturday 21st December. Sky Sports box office. Book Usyk v Fury 2 now!
Source link
