Let's start at the end of the 10th round. On my card, I had
Usyk and Fury tied. I thought that Fury had won both the 9th and 10th rounds,
landing uppercuts with each hand and several clean jabs. The fight was on the
table. Fury was on the ascendency and then...
By the halfway point of the 11th round, I wrote down a note that "Fury couldn't sustain his momentum and was now backing up again." I thought that Usyk won the 11th in a round where Fury didn't do too much. In the 12th they both landed some significant power punches, but I thought that Usyk's had more of an effect. In the end, I scored the fight for Oleksandr Usyk 115-113. The judges all had it for him 116-112.
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| Usyk Photo courtesy of Leigh Dawney/DAZN |
In many ways Tyson Fury was better on Saturday than he was during their first fight in May. He spent no time lingering on the ropes. He fully respected Usyk and his punching power. He was able to make adjustments. The uppercuts in the 9th and 10th were among his best punches of the fight. His balance looked better. His hand speed was sharp.
But in the most important way, on the judges' scorecards,
Fury still was second best. The major difference between the two on Saturday
was that Fury just couldn't sustain a consistent offensive attack. There were
rounds, sequences and moments where he was the best in the ring, but those
periods were not enough to put him over the top.
At 36, Fury can no longer go pedal-to-the-metal for 12
rounds. Although Usyk is one year older, he has led a cleaner lifestyle. He's
always in shape. And those small margins were enough in both fights.
When reserves were needed, Usyk had a more abundant supply.
And Fury's choices on Saturday made this point crystal
clear. Although many believed that Fury would take a page out of his rematch
with Deontay Wilder and go hunting on the inside, fighting like the bigger man,
that's not what he decided to do against Usyk. For most of Saturday's fight he
was in midrange. It takes a lot of energy to track down an opponent, to rough
him up and cuff him around. Fury did just this against Wilder in 2020. It was
one of the signature performances of his career.
However, four years later, not only wasn't he successful
with this approach, he also didn't even try it. Maybe he was spooked by Usyk's
abilities in the ring, or perhaps he just couldn't go to the well like that at
this stage of his career. Either answer isn't good: a fear of his opponent's
attributes or doubt regarding his own conditioning.
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| Fury after the fight Photo courtesy of Leigh Dawney/DAZN |
Still, Fury had his moments. He wasn't embarrassed. He stayed on his feet and put forth a solid effort. It probably would have been enough against many top heavyweights in the division, but not Usyk.
It was a strange tale of two halves for Usyk. He spent most
of the first half of the fight shooting straight lefts to the body. It was a
wise strategy in theory, but it's arguable at how effective it was. Although he was
consistent in his approach, his singular focus made him linger a little too
much in the pocket, enabling Fury to connect with strong counters and lead
shots during the first five rounds. Check out a counter left uppercut that Fury
landed in the beginning of the fifth. I have no doubt that's one of the best
shots Usyk has ever been hit with.
Usyk sacrificed elusiveness for a specific goal, to wear
Fury down. And in truth, Fury did fade, but I'm not sure if Usyk's body shots
were the real culprit for that eventuality. To my eyes, it was only when Usyk
returned to the head with straight lefts in the sixth did he start to cause
real damage. Those were the punches that made Fury keep his hands more at
home, to come forward less.
Usyk won four of the final six rounds of the fight. In the
seventh, eighth and eleventh, Fury didn't make a strong case for himself.
Spending more time trying to be defensively alert than by taking chances on
offense, he ceded too much ground. Whereas Fury was once a backfoot master
(check out his performance against Wlad Klitschko), against Usyk, whenever he
was backing up, he was in trouble. In retreat, Fury lost control of the action.
He wasn't leaving the pocket to spring traps or to box from a distance; no, it
was for self-preservation. He needed to stay away from Usyk's left hands.
***
Usyk's march through the heavyweight division has been
unusual. He wins with brains more than brawn. His agility, stamina, self-belief
and powers of recuperation are unmatched among his contemporaries. He has an
excellent left hand, which can be quite versatile, but he's not winning fights
too often with his other punches. They are nice additions when he uses them. I
thought that his right hook helped him in the eighth and ninth rounds during
the first Fury fight, but the punch wasn't a factor on Saturday. His jab is not
really a power jab and he rarely commits to it over 12 rounds. I can't remember
an uppercut that he threw against Fury in either fight. Like Deontay
Wilder, Usyk has a very limited offensive arsenal, but he even lacks Wilder's
power. However, Usyk's record of success speaks for itself.
Usyk has a deeper understanding than almost everyone in the
higher weights about what professional boxing is. And the most important part
is "professional." Usyk's training has never let him down. In fact,
His agility and stamina have led to so many second-half victories in his
fights. In addition, he is psychologically ready to fight his fight for 12
rounds. The mental pressure he exerts on his opponents is often more than the
physical pressure. He is always poking and prodding, trying to find a different
angle, or using his feet or arms to get an opponent off guard. He doesn't
take rounds off.
Let's also not forget the "boxing" part of the
equation. Defeating Joshua, Dubois and Fury, he's aware that his opponents have
been trying to take his head off with huge punches (perhaps less so with Fury),
but what Usyk understands is that as long as he stays on his feet, it's just a
10-9 round if he loses. And most heavyweights aren't conditioned or even
capable enough to outbox him to win a decision. They can't
match him over the duration of a fight. Anthony Joshua doesn't want to box for
12 rounds. Neither does Dubois. The older Fury certainly hasn't wanted to
either.
Although this era has featured several fantastic heavyweight
fights, the major players in the division (with the exception of Fury) have not
been a collection of technically gifted fighters. It's been mostly an era of
knockout artists. But interestingly, it has been the better boxers who have
ascended to the top. And as good as Fury has been in displaying his technical
skills, 24 rounds have proven that he isn't at the same level as Usyk; he's
just a step below.
What's even more unusual about Usyk's reign at heavyweight
is that as an older fighter he has beaten top opponents without knockouts. This
isn't George Foreman KO'ing someone in his mid 40s or Wlad Klitschko taking
guys out at 39 and 40 with his straight right. Usyk is winning the hard way –
with his feet, with timing, with endurance. He has been the best athlete in
every one of his heavyweight fights. Again, this isn't the typical way an older
heavyweight wins.
But Usyk somehow has made it all work. A style built so much
on athleticism and agility will soon have to run its course. Maybe Usyk has
another two or three fights left at this level. But when the inevitability
happens, either retirement or decline, let's not forget how special Usyk's
unique brand of heavyweight boxing has been. It's been mostly one punch,
pressure, dogged determination and psychological steel against guys with huge
physical advantages and much more power. On paper it doesn't add up. But that's
why they fight the fights. Something special might be revealed. And in this
case, with Usyk, it truly has.
Thank you!
ReplyDeleteExcellent take on the fight!
ReplyDelete@fightfans