Usyk vs Fury 2 Betting Preview & Tips

Boxing fans are in for a treat at around 11pm UK time on Saturday night. Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will lock horns for a second time in Riyadh for the unified Heavyweight Championship of the World. We managed to land a nice 4.50 winner with Daniel Dubois in our last boxing preview, hopefully we can repeat the trick for Usyk vs Fury 2.

Usyk vs Fury 2 – The Tale Of The Tape

*Weight for last fight

Oleksandr Usyk

What a fighter this slick southpaw is. The pride of Ukraine maintained his unbeaten record as a professional in an epic scrap against Tyson Fury here in Riyadh back in May. After cleaning out the cruiserweight division, he has done the exact same in the heavyweight ranks and if he can defeat Fury again, his place will be cemented amongst the all-time greats.

A brilliant, technically excellent fighter, Usyk’s skill, footwork and speed makes up for what he lacks in physical presence. He’s six inches shorter than Fury, his reach is seven inches less and he came into the last fight almost 40lbs lighter than his then unbeaten opponent. On paper it looked a mismatch and for six or seven rounds, that’s how the fight went.

However, Usyk caught Fury with a huge flurry in the ninth round and only the ropes stopped the Gypsy King from hitting the deck. This hugely significant moment proved that the Ukrainian could hurt Fury badly and the bell probably saved the British fighter from being knocked out cold. Usyk will be hoping to catch him even earlier in the fight this time and if he does, it could be curtains for Fury.

Tyson Fury

The Gypsy King finally met his match in Oleksandr Usyk back in May. It was the first time he had ever been in the ring with a fighter that was his equal, if not superior, in terms of boxing skills and IQ and in the end, he came up short. However, it was an extremely close fight and if Fury had been more aggressive in the early rounds when he shook Usyk with a couple of power shots, it may have been a different story.

I remember sending one of my friends a message after the sixth or seventh round saying that this was a Fury masterclass. He seemed to be in total control but he started showboating and clowning around and that was a disastrous decision. It let Usyk back into the fight and he had Fury staggering around the ring like a drunken sailor in the ninth. That 10-8 round proved to be the decisive moment given how close the scorecards were.

It has been reported that Fury intends to come in bigger and heavier for this fight, just like he did in his first rematch vs Deontay Wilder. However, Usyk is no Deontay Wilder and for me, Fury’s mental state is a lot more important than how heavy he is. If he is in the right headspace and fully focuses on the job, he is more than capable of avenging the defeat.

Usyk vs Fury 2 – The Verdict

The last fight between these two was extremely close. The fact that Fury was hurt so badly late on has probably clouded a few memories because up until that point, he was clearly winning the fight in my opinion. If he had gone for the jugular when he hurt Usyk in the fourth round or the sixth round instead of acting like an idiot, the result would have been very different.

The vibes coming out of the Fury camp ahead of this bout suggest he has been fully focused on his preparations for this rematch. His pride was massively dented in that first fight and he won’t be showboating this time if he connects with a big punch. However, Usyk will have learnt plenty from that first fight too and given his boxing brain, speed and accuracy, it would be foolish to write him off.

Who Wins?

So, who wins? I think it could be very close again and if it goes to the scorecards, surely Fury will get the nod to set up a lucrative third fight. That being said, if Fury does come in much heavier, will he be able to last twelve rounds?

In the last fight I tipped Fury to win by KO/TKO. After seeing Daniel Dubois hurt Usyk badly with a punch to the gut, I was hoping Fury would target the body and get the stoppage victory. That didn’t happen, but I still believe that is Usyk’s biggest weakness and if Fury can repeatedly hit him hard in the mid-section and forget about head-hunting, revenge could be on the cards.

I am not as confident as I was with Daniel Dubois vs Joshua but if Fury does as I hope and targets Usyk’s soft centre, I think he can stop him. At odds of 4.50, back Fury to win by KO/TKO/DQ.  

Usyk vs Fury 2 Betting Tip: Tyson Fury to win by KO/TKO/DQ @ 4.50

-DaveStevos