Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury had their press conference on Wednesday ahead of their December 21 rematch. The conference fared calmer than expected, and Tyson Fury was more reserved than usual.
Usyk was the one with the buzz when he entered dressed in a dark suit with shades, his head shaved and clutching a briefcase. He looked quite menacing and had that “winner” air around him. But he quickly quipped “it’s just character”, as if to explain why he looked the way he did.
The Ukrainian then went on to present Fury with a picture taken on the day of their first match, asking him to sign his autograph, a request to which the former WBC champion assented to. The picture showed Fury being punched with a left, one of the many blows Usyk inflicted that night in May which impressed two judges, earning him the win.
Fury had no problem seeing that image and even made a joke while he signed it. For the Brit, he had moved on from the fight and was looking forward to their next meeting: “we’ve got to put that behind us, what happened in the fight. I have to be a little bit more focused and a little bit more smart to get the victory.”
The fight with Usyk gave Fury his first professional career defeat and also saw him lose the WBC belt, making Usyk the undisputed heavyweight champion, a title he has since lost after giving up the IBF title. Now, in his attempt to be a heavyweight champion for the third time, Fury believes the odds are in his favor this time around.
According to him: “I always end up knocking them out in the rematch. Whoever I’ve faced more than once, I’ve ended up knocking them out in the rematch.” He was referencing his 11th-round knockout win over Deontay Wilder when the two of them faced for the third time back in 2021.
The press conference gave us the first glimpse into the mind of the two fighters ahead of their rematch. While Usyk appears a lot more confident, Fury seems more reserved with his mind squarely on having a better outing when next the two face. This is only the first of many sit-downs as the road go Usyk vs. Fury II has officially begun.
