Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury in May to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in over two decades.
The elite Ukrainian, who has achieved the same four-belt feat in the cruiserweight division, weathered a storm in the middle rounds to turn the tide and hurt the Brit like he never has been before. He would take the win via split decision on the scorecards.
With a contractual rematch now on the cards for December 21, albeit not for all four belts this time, predictions are coming in as to how it might play out.
Asked by The MMA Hour’s Ariel Helwani if he was surprised at the result of the first fight, top heavyweight contender Zhilei Zhang said no.
“Not really. I always have faith in Usyk’s boxing skills. I believe Tyson Fury did really well on that night too, but Usyk was the better man. They’re fighting again in December – I think it all comes down to who has a better training camp.”
Zhang – who recently bounced back from a loss to Joseph Parker by knocking out Deontay Wilder – then revealed that he was leaning towards a repeat result rather than revenge for Fury.
“I’m leaning towards Usyk because I think he found the key to beat Tyson Fury in the first fight and he’s going to capitalise on that … [The key is] you have to make adjustments by seconds and use your brain, not your body.”
Post-fight, Usyk has said he has recognised mistakes he made and will rectify them for a more convincing victory. Fury on the other hand still believes he won the first bout and said he was hurt and nearly stopped in the ninth because the contest up until that point was ‘too easy.’
