Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury are gearing up for a heavyweight championship rematch on December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight follows Usyk's split decision victory over Fury in May, where he became the undisputed champion.
Since their last meeting, Usyk has vacated the IBF belt, but still holds the WBO, WBA, and WBC titles. The previous bout was a close affair, with Usyk hurting Fury and ultimately securing the win on the scorecards.
Former featherweight champion Prince Naseem Hamed has shared his thoughts on the upcoming rematch. In an interview with YouTube, Hamed favored Usyk to win again, citing several reasons:
"I always knew the first fight was going to be very hard for Tyson because the IQ of Mr Usyk is something else, he's had all those amateur fights and all those championships. He's come through as undisputed champion at cruiserweight and now undisputed as a heavyweight."
Hamed pointed out Usyk's high IQ, extensive amateur experience, and championships at multiple weight classes as key factors. He also noted Usyk's status as a future Hall of Famer.
Despite his prediction, Hamed didn't rule out a Fury victory:
"Listen, I think it's going to be very hard for Tyson. Me personally, I would love to see him win that, that would make my year for him to win that fight. Do I think he's going to win it? I think it's going to be hard, I think it's going to be very hard."
Hamed acknowledged Fury's potential, remembering moments from the first fight:
"We want the Fury's so much to win. It is not impossible for him to win that fight – Tyson can come back and box unbelievable, we saw him hurting him with some uppercuts it's not as if he can't do it. If Tyson fights in the right way and does it in the best way, then in my eyes Tyson could do it."
The stakes are high for this rematch. Fury has stated that if he wins, he will grant Usyk a trilogy fight. Both fighters will look to cement their legacies in what promises to be an exciting heavyweight clash.
