Usyk vs Fury 2: how Tyson Fury will face first loss in heavyweight championship rematch with Oleksandr Usyk | Boxing news

No professional opponent had defeated Tyson Fury, until Oleksandr Usyk’s brilliant display in May saw the Ukrainian become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

It was the first time Fury’s hand had not been raised at the end of a fight since Russian amateur Maksim Babanin beat him in 2007.

The Briton’s unbeaten record had been a matter of great pride. But entering the rematch, which takes place this Saturday live Sky Sports box officeFury hasn’t dwelled on the loss.

“I was undefeated for 17 years as a boxer. That’s a long time,” Fury said Sky Sports.

“I haven’t really had any idea about it. It hasn’t affected me, I haven’t done anything different to what I would have done if I had the decision.

“I wouldn’t have done anything different whether I had made the decision or not. I haven’t really thought about it to be fair. I don’t even focus on the past, I just focus on the day at hand.”

But he could not deny that the setback has given him a new advantage for the rematch.

He said: “Sometimes I think, if I’m going to run in something, I think this (person) has a decision on me, I want to reverse it on the restart.

“Obviously I’m a competitor, I’m competitive. So I think that way.”

Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who co-promotes Fury, sees a fighter fired up by this first loss. “I think it really shook him up and so he’s trained a lot more seriously than before,” Arum said. Sky Sports.

“In other words, he’s always trained hard, but the dedication for this one is far and above what he’s been for any fight other than maybe Wilder’s (Deontay) second fight.”

Famously, after a controversial draw in his first fight with Wilder, Fury burst into the American and stopped him in his rematch.

Undercard fighter Isaac Lowe, who has trained alongside Fury since childhood and knows him better than most, is confident the former champion will also bounce back from this adversity.

“You look at his track record, when he gets knocked down or whatever, he always comes back and knocks the other guy out,” Lowe said. Sky Sports.

“I expect the best version of Tyson Fury. There’s not much different that he needs to do well. Just minor things, stay more focused and stay focused and I think little tweaks here and there will make a difference in that. Fight, I hope I’m going to do a number this time.

“Everyone has written him off throughout his career. When he went up to 30 stone, before boxing (Wladimir) Klitschko, when it was the Wilder fight, this and that, and he always comes back against the odds and does it.

“What a stage to do this time.”

It was a high-pressure, high-level event when Fury fought Usyk for the first time. But Fury’s youth gives another clue as to how he will respond to this defeat.

In 2006, Tyson Fury boxed David Price in the Northwest Final of the ABA National Championships. It may seem like a minor issue, but on the amateur circuit at the time it was as big as it could get.

Macaulay McGowan then trained with Fury at Jimmy Egan’s amateur boxing club.

Remembering that moment McGowan said Sky Sports: “It was just the North West final. It was huge. Tyson wanted to go up to GB. David Price was obviously a Commonwealth international gold medallist. He was going to the Olympics. Suddenly this 17-year-old boy came and 18. Out of nowhere, he started trashing the Boxing News and all that.

“A couple of weeks later it came out that David Price wasn’t even worried about the ABA, but then he had seen Tyson trash him on Boxing News.

“It was a great fight. It was like an undisputed world title fight, I remember it today. He wanted the 2008 Olympic spot and he was given the opportunity to prove it.”

Fury lost that decision to Price. “I was kind of depressed, (thinking:) ‘I’m never going to do this, I’m never going to do that.’ Then he goes back to the gym and he’s working out. He kind of grinds it down and does it even more,” McGowan recalled.

“He won the ABAs and turned pro after that. It’s like water off a duck’s back. He just started. Don’t get me wrong, he has his low points, he’s dead, disappointed, I was devastated. I don’t think I wanted to hear that again, so I dropped the genes and went even further.

“I can see Tyson going, ‘No, you’re not going to have it this time,’ and putting his head down.

“I think he’ll come back stronger. No doubt about it.”

The big heavyweight rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will be live on Saturday, December 21 at Sky Sports box office. Pre-order Usyk v Fury 2 now!