Tyson Fury is gearing up for his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk, aiming to reclaim the undisputed heavyweight championship. The British boxer, known as 'The Gypsy King', lost to Usyk in May 2023 by split decision.
Fury, now 36, feels energized by his new role as the challenger. He told the Undisputed channel:
"I can't wait for the challenge and for the first time in years I'm going in there as a challenger not a champion. I believe I'm better as a challenger always because I've got a goal of achieving something again and it's giving me a fire underneath me, where before I was thinking do I really want to be doing this? Or this is easy. Now I've got a good test so I can grit my teeth, bite down on my gumshield and get stuck in."
The first fight was a close affair, with Usyk winning and becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis. Fury looked shaky in the ninth round but managed to stay on his feet. After the fight, Usyk won all four major titles but later vacated the IBF belt, which Daniel Dubois now holds.
Fury believes he did enough to win the first fight. He's certain there will be a trilogy, comparing their rivalry to boxing legends:
"I think this will be one of the great trilogies, me and Usyk, like Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney. Going back to them days. They were great fights and I believe when I beat him again I'll definitely do a trilogy with him. 100%. Got to be. One each and then the trilogy."
Usyk, 37, is the current unified heavyweight champion. The Ukrainian fighter boasts an impressive resume, including an Olympic gold medal.
While Fury is focused on Usyk, he hasn't ruled out a future fight with Anthony Joshua, despite Joshua's recent knockout loss to Dubois. Meanwhile, Dubois, the current IBF heavyweight champion, is angling for a shot at the winner of the Fury-Usyk rematch.
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Fans can watch highlights of the first Fury-Usyk fight on Sky Sports Boxing's website, where Usyk's victory is broken down in detail.