After Tyson Fury’s defeat to Oleksandr Usyk back in May, there have been some in the boxing world questioning whether, at 36, his best days are behind him.
Fury was heavily dropped on route to a split decision loss to Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship in Saudi Arabia in May, the first blemish on his 36-fight record.
Former heavyweight titlist, Hasim Rahman has weighed in with his two cents – and it doesn’t make for good reading for fans of ‘The Gypsy King.’
Speaking to Fight Hype, Rahman went as far to describe Fury as a “shell of himself” due to his gruelling trilogy with Deontay Wilder.
‘The Rock’ went onto say that he believes Usyk will actually go one better and stop the Brit when they run it back on December 21.
“I think Deontay Wilder got a big play in this Usyk and Tyson Fury rematch.
“I believe Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury took everything out of each other.
“I think they’re both shells of their former selves, and I believe Usyk will win this rematch by stoppage.
“I know he knows he can drop him and hurt him, and now I think the confidence is there. I think he’s going to win by stoppage.”
Fury is an underdog in the eyes of most for his second showdown with the Ukrainian – but Rahman knows better than anyone that overcoming the odds is not impossible.
#OnThisDay – In 2001, Hasim Rahman defeated Lennox Lewis by KO in round 5 of 12 to win the WBC, IBF & Lineal heavyweight titles. pic.twitter.com/qbkiLuWvmJ
— _hookoffthejab_ (@_hookoffthejab_) April 22, 2022
The Baltimore man scored one of the biggest upsets in the history of the heavyweight division, when he knocked out Lennox Lewis back in 2001, a fight oddsmakers had him priced at around 20-1 to win.
Despite most observers agreeing with the three ringside judges’ verdict on the night, Fury maintains he should have got the nod against Usyk and has stated he intends to stop him when they lock horns in around 11 weeks on Saturday.
