Tyson Fury has vowed to take his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk more seriously than their encounter in May, when he says he did too much ‘clowning’ throughout.
The Ukrainian beat the Gypsy King on points earlier this year to become the undisputed world champion, coming back from a rocky few rounds in the middle of the bout to finish strongly.
Indeed, Usyk almost put Fury away in the ninth round of an absorbing fight, rocking the Brit with a flurry of 14 unanswered punches which left his opponent leaning on the ropes for support.
The 36-year-old somehow survived the onslaught and made it to the end of the contest, only to lose on points, but has a shot at redemption next Saturday when he will be looking to make up for his only career defeat to date.
Usyk has recently claimed he can learn from the first bout and perform even better in the rematch, suggesting he could even stop the Englishman this time.
But now Fury has engaged in his own round of fighting talk, claiming he did ‘more clowning than anybody in any high-level fight’ during his defeat in May.
Tyson Fury has pledged to take things a bit more seriously in his Oleksandr Usyk rematch
The Gypsy King claimed he did a bit too much ‘clowining’ in his defeat to the Ukrainian in May
Fury often leaned on the ropes and made comical faces in the early exchanges in May
He said: ‘I’ll just throw more this time. Keep hitting him in the face more often than I did last time.
‘I’m just going to box smart, box clever and if I catch him, get him out of there. ‘retty similar to what I did last time. A little bit less clowning around and a bit more focus and that’s it, really.
‘I did more clowning than anybody in any high-level fight’s ever done.
‘It’s taken my focus away as well, so maybe a little less clowning and more focus on the actual victory. I was messing around too much in there.’
Fury often dropped his hands, stretched his arms out and made comical faces, inviting pressure from Usyk particularly in the early exchanges.
The Gypsy King also accepted he is no longer the same fighter he once was, after a long career encompassing 36 fights, with the 36-year-old winning 34 and drawing one against Deontay Wilder in 2018, as well as his Usyk loss.
‘I’m not the same guy I was at 21 or 22, but who is at that age?’ Fury said. ‘No one is, I suppose. Muhammad Ali wasn’t. Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson definitely wasn’t. Nobody is.
‘Who is the same man they are at 36 as they was at 26? Nobody really. So yeah, all of those fights have a big effect on human beings.
Usyk and his team were emotional after the May fight and posed with a Ukrainian flag
Fury has suggested a trilogy match between him and Oleksandr Usyk could take place
The Ukrainian beat Fury on points in May to become undisputed world heavyweight champion
‘I remember when I was a young guy in my 20s and I said to Vladimir Klitschko, “Look at you, you’re an old man.” He was 37.
‘I said, “You’re old.” I said, “You’ve got gray hairs in your beard.” I said, “It’s a young man’s game.” Now I’m in that position, I’m in that boat.
‘Sometimes when fighters lose a fight, they can never win another one when that bubble’s been burst. They’re never the same. I’ve seen it many times.’
Fury’s remarks come after he confirmed plans last week for a third bout against his currently unbeaten opponent before accepting that he would need to win the rematch first.
In a recent interview on DAZN along with Usyk and his promoter, as well as the Mancunian’s own promoter Frank Warren, Fury said: ‘There will be a rematch. A trilogy. There’s got to be.
‘If he wins one and I win one, I can’t say I’m better and he can’t say he’s better. There has to be a third one.’
The Gypsy King was back to his outspoken best throughout the interview, labelling Usyk a ‘b****’ and confidently claiming he will win the fight in a fortnight’s time.
Fury has until now maintained a low profile as he continues to work through an intense training camp alongside trainer Sugar Hill Steward.
Usyk had Fury troubled in the ninth round in May and nearly knocked out the Gypsy King
The heavyweight icons will go toe-to-toe for a second time in Saudi Arabia on December 21
His previous defeat saw him outclassed in the ring by Usyk who again delivered on his underdog status and displayed incredible athleticism to negate the difference in height and reach.
But, Fury seems to be aiming to make the most of his size advantage against Usyk this time around with the 36-year-old looking to have packed on serious muscle mass ahead of the mouthwatering contest.
The Wythenshawe-born boxer has been recruiting a vast array of sparring partners in preparation to take on the Ukrainian, with Kevin Lerena amongst those hired by Fury’s training team.
The duo went toe-to-toe in a series of intense sparring sessions and the South African shared an image of the pair standing side-by-side afterwards, with the Gypsy King’s giant figure taking fans by surprise.