Tyson Fury has next to no chance of getting revenge against Oleksandr Usyk, according to former three-weight world champion Duke McKenzie.
‘The Gypsy King’ fell short in his bid to become the first four-belt heavyweight champion when he fought Oleksandr Usyk for all the marbles earlier this year.
Tyson Fury was given a standing eight-count in the ninth round after being badly rocked by ‘The Joker’, who has relinquished his IBF title since making history in May.
He’ll hope to win it back by facing the winner of Daniel Dubois vs Joseph Parker in 2025 – but first he’s got to prove he’s the best big man in boxing by beating Fury again on December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- READ MORE: Lennox Lewis weighs in on whether Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 winner becomes a heavyweight great
Tyson Fury is ‘shot to pieces’
Duke McKenzie won world championships at flyweight, bantamweight and super-bantamweight before becoming a commentator after retiring from boxing in 1998.
The 61-year-old Englishman gives his compatriot next to no chance of getting revenge against Usyk, who he expects to defend his WBO, WBC, and WBA titles with relative ease when he fights Fury again.
“I think Tyson Fury’s legs are completely shot to pieces,” McKenzie told Seconds Out.
“We’re not looking at the same Tyson Fury as the guy that went over to win the world titles initially when he beat [Wladimir] Klitschko. We’re not looking at the same guy anymore. This guy can’t bounce around the ring for twelve rounds, which he proved in the last fight.
“The fact that he’s putting on weight and he’s coming into the fight even heavier now proves to me yet again he’s saying to himself this is my last roll of the dice. If I’m going out, I’m going out on my shield on my terms.”
“I don’t think he can claw back the deficit. It’s not happening … This is heavyweight boxing. You’re one punch away from disaster, one punch from victory. Of course, Fury can win the fight. He could find he throws a haymaker and knocks Usyk out. But it’s highly unlikely.
“Usyk doesn’t go down unless it’s a low blow.
“I’ve never seen anybody have him rocked and really hurt. And the one time Tyson Fury did have him hurt, Usyk managed to disguise it and cover it up so that Fury couldn’t maintain the onslaught. He’s too smart for that. And he would’ve learned from that mistake.”
Turki Alalshikh wants Tyson Fury vs Wladimir Klitschko 2
Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh is eyeing another mammoth rematch for Fury.
If the 6ft 9in colossus proves McKenzie and many others wrong by beating Usyk in their rematch, he could be rewarded with a fight against Wladimir Klitschko.
Fury ended the Ukrainian’s decade of dominance in 2015. A rematch was scheduled but never came to fruition as Klitschko ended up fighting Joshua before retiring after suffering an 11th-round KO defeat in 2017.
Now he’s been offered the chance to make history by the most powerful man in boxing, who wants the 48-year-old to end his retirement to try to become the old heavyweight champion of all time.
“The result of Tyson vs Usyk, a lot of people are waiting for them,” Alalshikh told DAZN.
“One of them is Dubois. Another is Joshua. At the same time, there is a third person. I am dreaming of seeing this fight to give a chance if he accepts to give Klitschko to give back to be the oldest heavyweight champion ever. To give him the chance. This is perfect.”
“Of course, he won’t fight Usyk if he wins because they’re two heroes from Ukraine who will not fight each other.
“This is the dream. Fury has a lot of people that want him in the line. Klitschko, all the people want to see it from 2015 again, and there’s also Joshua, which would be the hugest Britain fight ever [against Fury].
“Of course, Dubois deserves this chance. Let’s see.”