The Debate: Oleksandr Usyk v Tyson Fury 2 - Repeat or Revenge?

Our latest instalment of 'The Debate' sees boxing writers Shaun Brown and John MacDonald come to blows over whether it will be a case of repeat or revenge when Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury run back their May 2024 classic in a blockbuster Festive showdown on Saturday night.

Will it be a case of repeat or revenge in Riyadh this weekend?

There's only one answer to that question, Oleksandr Usyk will further cement his legacy with another victory, says John MacDonald.

John MacDonald

Why will Oleksandr Usyk win I hear you ask? Well, because winning is simply what he does best.

Olympic champion, amateur World Championship gold medallist, Undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight king.

You have to go all the way back to 2009 to find the last loss on the ledger of the Ukrainian.

It's hardly surprising, as the 37-year-old possesses a tremendous boxing IQ.

Regardless of the plan opponents have spent 12-weeks formulating in the gym, Usyk can adapt to it, posing an entirely different conundrum for rivals to solve.

It is that ability to make adjustments that has been pivotal in his biggest fights.

In their first encounter, after enduring several difficult rounds on the bounce, ‘The Cat’ was able to change the trajectory of the bout, knocking Tyson Fury from pillar to post.

‘The Gypsy King’ will certainly have made alterations to the game plan during training camp, they may be successful: after all, this a monstrous man equally comfortable boxing and moving, as he is walking fighters down with hurtful shots.

However, it likely will not take Usyk long to crack the 6ft 9ins enigma in front of him.

No professional opponent has ever succeeded in preventing the London 2012 Gold medallist from dictating the pace of a fight, for the vast majority of the time.

The mental and physical pressure applied by Usyk forces others to box at a pace they are not comfortable with; as Fury discovered in their initial clash.

Make no mistake about it, Fury is a great fighter, but Oleksandr Usyk is a better one, and Saturday will once again prove that.

This fight ends in an entirely different way with Tyson Fury's hand being raised late on Saturday night, argues Shaun Brown.

Shaun Brown

When a man is under pressure, questioned and has his back against the wall it’s incredible what he can achieve, and Tyson Fury has been doing the incredible since the day he was born.

The 6ft 9ins colossus weighed just one pound when he was born three months premature, and defied the odds to simply survive. Incredible.

A couple of decades later he went to Germany and toppled the dominant heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko. Incredible.

Fury then remarkably, and inspiringly, battled back from addiction, weight gain and obesity to get his boxing career back on track. Incredible.

Six months after his comeback he fought the WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and dared to take down ‘The Bronze Bomber’ and his super human punching power.

Fury was dropped in round nine and then, in round 12, was laid out cold on the canvas, before digging as deep as ever to somehow end the bout the stronger of the two. Incredible.

In their rematch, following that controversial draw, he bulldozed through Wilder, treating boxing’s equivalent of a nuclear bomb like it was a chin tickle. Incredible.

Winning is what Usyk does, but incredible is what Fury does.

The Ukrainian proved to be the Brit’s kryptonite when they first fought in May but Fury did so many things wrong that night.

For example, the infamous cut during camp hindered how much sparring he did and the showboating he performed during the fight was nonsensical and ultimately backfired.

But Fury is a man who learns his lesson, and in rematches and becomes a different animal.

The sweet science runs through Usyk like blood runs through our veins, but Fury has seen the best of Usyk, whereas the Ukrainian has yet to bare witness to the best of Fury.

On Saturday night that will change, and Tyson Fury will prove just why he is so incredible.