Hearn: Fury looks ‘pretty old’

Eddie Hearn says Tyson Fury “He looked quite old” during media training this week, looking at how he has aged ahead of his rematch with WBA, WBC and WNO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) on Saturday, December 21 in Riyadh.

Although Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) is only 36 years old, some fans have looked like he’s in his 50s and 60s in the build-up to his rematch with Usyk. It’s not just the beard. The punishment both fighters took in their previous fight was severe, but it seems to have taken a lot more out of his gypsy king, causing him to look aged.

Fury’s physical status

It’s Fury’s face and body. He looked well beyond his chronological age of 36, which could be a problem for him because Usyk hasn’t aged since their May 18 fight. He wants to knock out Fury to finish him off and prevent the judges from scoring him.

Promoter Hearn doesn’t have a dog in this race and can tell it like it is. He says Fury is “not a young man anymore,” which is putting it lightly.

“I know he’s got a beard and everything, but I thought Tyson looked quite old in training, to be honest,” Eddie Hearn told BBC 5 Live Sport, noting how Tyson Fury has appeared to have aged since his loss against Oleksandr Usyk. on May 18. “He is no longer a young man.”

“He’s a 36-year-old,” Steve Bunce said of Fury.

“He is not a natural athlete. You’re not going to see him doing yoga and getting his massages every day, like completely taking care of himself,” Hearn said of Fury. “But he’s a natural fighter. This is the difference. It’s not manufactured, but it’s not sporty. He doesn’t move like that.”

The lifestyle of the gypsy king

Fury’s habit of packing on the pounds between fights may contribute to physical decline. Great Britain Ricky Hatton used to get heavy between fights, putting on weight and then needing to take it off on the training ground. His career may have been cut short dramatically. He retired at 34, which is close to where Fury is.

“I think his body will break down faster than someone who has lived a full life,” Hearn said of the ‘Gypsy King’. “Usyk, I think he is an athlete and I think he could last a little longer. Fury is like a fighter of instincts and impulses and that is what makes him dangerous.

“It doesn’t look like he’s supposed to be good, but he’s really good because he’s been fighting since he was a baby,” Hearn said of Fury.

“Tyson Fury looked pretty old.”@EddieHearn look ahead #UsykFury2 pic.twitter.com/VcWhvXvhid

— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) December 20, 2024