daniel chigunwe
BOXING stars and legends have shared their predictions ahead of the blockbuster rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury, 36, and Usyk, 37, lock horns on Saturday, December 21 at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia.
The Gypsy King is looking for revenge after the Ukrainian handed him his first ever defeat after 36 fights — 34 of which he won – in May when they faced off in the same venue.
Then Ukrainian megastar will be looking to extend his own undefeated streak to 23 wins after beating Fury via split decision in Riyadh.
Boxing’s biggest personalities are also split ahead of the big fight and one of them even changed his mind, which shows just how close this match may be.
SunSport bring you the predictions from the sport’s most famous names:
Lennox Lewis – Oleksandr Usyk
Lennox Lewis’ money is with Oleksandr Usyk and warned Tyson Fury he will have to box “smart”.
Lewis said: “It’s going to be a tough fight for both guys. It’s going to be mentally tough, it’s going to be physically tough. “They’re going to push each other on the mental basis far, they’re going to push each other physically far. Both guys want to win this fight.
“Both guys want something from this and it’s going to be a mental challenge and a physical challenge.
“I think it’s going to be a banger, it’s going to be a serious fight, one guy was more serious than the other guy [in the first fight] — you could say Tyson Fury lost that fight and Usyk won it.
“Now it’s a situation where they’re having another fight, Tyson Fury has to win that fight so he’s going to be more focused, he’s going to put a little bit more weight on to get through this fight and he’s a lot more serious.
“Well, I cannot go against Usyk. Oleksandr Usyk has proven himself time and time again, and he’s still undefeated.”
Mike Tyson – Tyson Fury
Mike Tyson has a very unique reason why he’s backing Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia…
Tyson said: “Usyk is the best heavyweight in the world at the moment. But I’m going for Fury to beat him.
“Why? Because I’m a fan. Because his father gave him my name. I’m not abandoning him now.”
Anthony Joshua – Oleksandr Usyk
Anthony Joshua is confident Oleksandr Usyk will get his hand raised, but not by much. Joshua said: “I think it’s going to be a tough fight early on and then I feel like Usyk will edge it again. —Sun.
