Carl Froch believes Tyson Fury will run out of steam if he fails to knock out Oleksandr Usyk by the fourth round on Saturday. Froch thinks Fury's weight is too high at 281 lbs for him to fade and lose to unified heavyweight champion Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) in their rematch at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
If 'Gyspy King' Fury goes down after three or four rounds, he will likely be knocked out by Usyk. The referee who saved Fury last time with his timely eight count in the ninth round will not be officiating the rematch on Saturday. So Tyson will be alone, he will have to get out of hot water without help.
Fury decided to pile on with the desperate belief that he could use the weight to gain more power and perhaps rely on Usyk to wear him down. He used that tactic against Deontay Wilder, Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora.
That style was taught to Fury by his trainer SugarHill Steward, but it was only a game plan that worked against the three limited fighters above. He was ineffective against Fury's last two opponents, Usyk and Francis Ngannou.
Durability doubts
“Just the confidence, smile and poise of Usyk. Today he is simply leaking from the class. With the first fight going the way it did in the ninth round, I've made him the favorite all week and I'm even more confident,” Carl Froch told Matchroom boxingpicking Oleksandr Usyk to win Saturday night's defense against Tyson Fury.
“You can't write Tyson off. He's a big guy; it's strong, but I think it's too heavy (281 lbs). That's 20 stone. If you don't get him out of there in the first three or four rounds, he'll blow him out. He will fill that extra weight himself. I don't think he did himself any extra favors.
“Maybe I'm wrong. He could go in there and lean on Usyk, grab him and try to get him out of there. That has to be his game plan,” Froch said.
Fury seems to lack confidence and his trainer Sugarhill has no ideas other than the game plan that worked against Wilder. Fury rallied with one idea: try to bully Usyk.
“Take off the leather clothes and let's say he's down to 277. He's been there before. I didn't like him at that weight,” commentator Steve Bunce said of Fury. “Then it is slow and bulky. That's clearly the plan. It's a great plan, but what happens in the sixth round if Usyk is out of danger. All that weight takes its toll.
“Usyk, with his clothes on, is probably exactly the same as he was in the last fight because that's who he is. He is a scientist.”
