Tyson Fury Needs to Put a Stop to Problematic Pattern in Clash against Oleksandr Usyk
Tyson Fury is all set to face off against Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday in Riyadh, contesting for the WBO, WBA, WBC, and Ring Magazine heavyweight titles. Usyk emerged victorious in their initial bout through a split decision.
If Fury aims for a different outcome, he might need to confront an issue that has become more apparent in his recent bouts, especially against Usyk.
Data from Jabbr, a company known for developing technology to gauge the power and success of every punch thrown, reveals a deterioration in Fury's performance in the latter stages of his fights.
According to Jabbr's analysis: "While Usyk maintains his strength at the finish, Fury seems to falter. He's less effective in rounds 11 and 12 against his opponents compared to the initial rounds. In fact, he often gets outpunched in round 12 against his past adversaries."
This pattern was also visible in their first encounter.
In the first fight with Usyk in May, according to Jabbr's data, "Rounds 1 to 7 are quite even, statistically speaking. However, round 8 sees a significant drop in Fury's performance across various metrics. His aggression drops significantly, and he's outpunched over 3 to 1 in terms of high impact punches. The round appears to be a turning point in the contest. Fury recovers somewhat in rounds 11 and 12, particularly in terms of aggression, but still falls short overall."
In the ninth round of the first fight, Usyk inflicted severe damage on Fury, leading to a knockdown that drastically altered the fight's momentum. If the rematch against Usyk extends into the later rounds, Fury's tendency to fade could work against him once more.
Fury threw more punches than Usyk in their first encounter, but this was mainly due to his jab in the early rounds. As indicated by the blue and red markers on the graph above, Usyk's pressure, aggression, landed punches, and high-impact shots significantly outstripped Fury's.
With Fury finding it challenging to keep up towards the end of fights, one can't help but question whether the extra weight he's carrying may exacerbate the issue. On Friday, Fury weighed in at 281 pounds, the heaviest he's ever been for a professional fight and a full 55 pounds heavier than Usyk.
The additional size appears to be a calculated risk by Fury. It seems he's aiming to bully Usyk with his interior fighting tactics. It also could be a hint that Fury doesn't intend to let the fight last too long.
Fury is determined to knockout Usyk and believes his larger stature will aid in achieving that goal. If Fury fails to finish the job early, and Usyk manages to inflict effective damage, he could drag Fury into deep waters yet again.
If that occurs, Usyk may not simply win the rematch. He could secure the knockout victory he almost achieved in their initial encounter. Here's the fight card for Riyadh:
- Oleksandr Usyk (c) vs. Tyson Fury
- Moses Itauma vs. Demsey McKean
- Johnny Fisher vs. Dave Allen
- Dennis McCann vs. Peter McGrail
- Isaac Lowe vs. Lee McGregor
What time does the Fury vs Usyk rematch start on Saturday in Riyadh? Despite carrying extra weight, Fury aims to knockout Usyk early in the fight, but if it extends into the later rounds, his tendency to fade could work against him, as it did in their initial bout.
