Tyson Fury has vowed to knock out Oleksandr Usyk in their heavyweight title rematch after losing his undefeated record to the Ukrainian earlier this year. Usyk claimed victory by split decision in their first bout in May, and the pair will face off again for the WBA, WBC, and WBO titles on December 21 in Riyadh.
Fury, who was unbeaten in 35 professional fights before losing to Usyk, is confident of a knockout in the rematch, drawing on his history of success in second encounters. The Englishman famously knocked out Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora in rematches after their initial fights went the distance.
“I have to be a little bit more focused and smart to get the victory,” Fury said during a press conference in London. “My rematches with people, I always end up knocking them out, so I’m envisaging something similar against Usyk.”
Usyk, who remains unbeaten in 22 professional fights, added some lightheartedness to the press event by producing a photo of him landing a punch on Fury, which he asked the Englishman to sign. Despite Usyk’s playful antics, Fury dominated the conversation, expressing his determination to learn from his first career loss and deliver a spectacular performance.
“I believe it’s my time this time,” Fury said. “All things that happen, positive or negative, are lessons and we must learn from these things as humans.”
This time, however, not all four heavyweight belts will be on the line, as Usyk vacated the IBF title in June, which was claimed by Daniel Dubois, who knocked out Anthony Joshua last month.