23 December 2023 , 14:00
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Tyson Fury is planning to jet out to Saudi Arabia on December 30 to prepare for his clash with Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury will finally fight bitter rival Usyk on February 17 in Saudi Arabia after a year of failed negotiations between the two camps. The fight will crown the first undisputed heavyweight world champion since Lennox Lewis achieved the feat in 1999. Fury is coming off a split decision win against former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in October whilst Usyk defended his unified belts against Daniel Dubois in August.
'The Gypsy King' was slammed for his subpar performance against Ngannou and he is cutting no shortcuts for his Usyk fight camp by travelling to Saudi Arabia seven weeks before the fight. Fury's dad John recently expressed concern about the damage his son has taken in recent fights and thinks he needs to go back to his old style.
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"In my opinion, Tyson needs a bit more time to get his conditioning right and his weight right. He is taking more punches now than he has taken in his whole career and that could have shortened his career. That is the worry we have got here. Tyson is a remarkable man but sometimes he needs to listen to a bit of common sense," John told Metro.
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“For my money, his last three fights, I have seen a bit of decline. Not a decline in ability but a decline in strength, power and physical condition. I don’t know what they are doing up there, you have to address it. He didn’t look himself out in Saudi. He would have been better boxing off the back foot, slipping and sliding."
Fury had to pick himself up off the canvas after being dropped in the third round by Ngannou, fighting on to win by a single point in a heavily scrutinised decision. The Brit admitted that Ngannou was his toughest opponent of the past decade as the fight served as big wake up call for his upcoming bout with Usyk.
"Against the old Tyson, Ngannou wouldn’t have landed a glove on him," John added. "The style I am seeing is no good, it won’t be any use boxing Usyk like that, just stood in front of him. You have to be clever and agile, as much as Usyk is. But unless you are trained to do that, what can you say?”