Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2: Strategic Analysis

Today is the day when Oleksandr Usyk cements himself as one of the greatest of all time or when Tyson Fury avenges his only loss and reclaims his heavyweight throne. Both know what is at stake and the importance of today’s game.

Fury’s demeanor is different for this match; he seems laser-focused and has taken a different approach in his interactions with Usyk. At Thursday’s press conference, Fury verbally attacked Usyk with personal insults. This could be an attempt to anger the Ukrainian into a shootout. Fury’s strategy for this bout could be similar to what he did in Deontay Wilder’s second bout, in which he opted to weigh in at over 273 pounds. In this second match, he employed a pressure attack that surprised Wilder, dropping him several times and eventually stopping him in the 7th round.

Anthony Joshua fought Oleksandr Usyk twice, and it was in the ninth round of their rematch that he found more success, landing an astonishing 28 punches. In that round, he used effective pressure and put Usyk on the back foot. Usyk, however, being the master tactician, made the necessary adjustments in the next round and walked out on Joshua, landing a maximum of 39 punches in the 10th.

It will take something really special to beat Usyk. His control of angles, difficult movement, and ability to make adjustments in the fight make it extremely difficult for opponents to be truly effective against him. His known weakness is his body, and many have found limited success in hitting his midsection cleanly. None other than Daniel Dubois, who delivered a devastating punch to Usyk’s belt that sent him to the canvas. The punch was controversially flagged as a low blow by the referee, but many believe it was legal. Regardless, Dubois was successful in landing several punches to the body throughout the match.

At yesterday’s weigh-in, Fury came in at 281 pounds, which is equal to Usyk’s 226. The 55-pound difference will be to be bigger and stronger, apply pressure and bully Usyk on the inside. In the first match, Fury was effective early on landing several right uppercuts, the one he landed in the 6th round stunned Usyk and did some serious damage causing him to be seriously down, leading to the famous image of Usyk kissing his crucifix. Fury will be looking to duplicate that effort and punish him.

To be truly effective, he needs to be more cunning than Usyk, which is no easy task. He must be unpredictable boxing at both short and long range. Giving Usyk multiple looks and attacking from different angles. Usyk is great at adjusting, and if Fury becomes predictable or repetitive, Usyk will switch tactically. Fury must control the distance; he didn’t do well in the first game and suffered because of it. He has a 7 inch reach advantage and has to use his jab when he’s ranged. He needs to do it hard and throw it at a higher rate than he did in the first game. He had limited success, getting 62 hits. He has to keep Usyk at bay and not allow

let him go inside until he is ready to counter it. Fury also needs to target the body a lot, as an effective body attack will slow Usyk down. The bigger question is, can the Fury go the distance with the added weight? If he can’t slow down Usyk, he may find himself struggling to defend. The first match was won by a narrow margin, with Usyk winning by split decision. With the judges scoring it 115-112, 114-113 for Usyk and 114-113 for Fury. The outcome of this match may end differently as Fury’s adjustments outside the ring are already visible. His approach, weight and demeanor show that he will be much more aggressive in this match. The display and play that he showed in the first game will be minimized and instead he will spend his energy to seriously hurt Usyk. Usyk must weather the early storm and make the necessary adjustments to survive Fury’s pressure. The rematch should be as big as the first.