Carl Froch is worried that Tyson Fury’s physique for the Oleksandr Usyk fight will hamper him.
Fury has been training for Usyk for some time, given that the fight was called off twice. It was initially set for December 23 last year. That changed when Fury withdrew after scrapping past Francis Ngannou. A new date was set for February 17. Fury then suffered a huge cut over his right eye in sparring, which prevented the fight. Fury’s cut will take at least three months to fully heal, meaning it could reopen if Usyk connects to the area.
Fury has resorted to losing more weight, indicating that he will look to move around the ring. Froch questioned whether that was the right tactic, given his success when facing Deontay Wilder. Fury used his extra weight and muscle to slow Wilder down. As he did so, he stopped him in their second and third fight. That was a big step away from boxing and moving, which earned him a draw in the first Wilder bout. Froch is now questioning whether Fury’s body is in the right shape to beat Usyk.
“I’m not sure if (Fury coming in light) is a good thing to be honest. That weight allowed him to bully Deontay Wilder, lean on him, tie him up and just have his own way. When it gets on top for Fury, when he’s under pressure, he’s able to sit back, get hold of the back of his opponent’s neck, lean on him and use his body weight to get himself out of trouble.
“If he’s losing weight and he’s slimmer, he could struggle. I’d like to see him perform at a slimmer weight. His body and the way it looks is a product of his training camp. So maybe the nutritionist needs to step in and say, right, get some more red meat down here. Get some more protein down you and do some weight resistance exercises.I think he needs the muscle on now though. He needs to be bulking up muscle,” Froch said
There is a rematch clause in place, meaning Fury could switch up tactics. However, Fury has shown he performs his best when the boxing world is against him. Fury has the height and reach, giving him the physical advantages. However, that also means Usyk has a bigger target to hit. The Ukrainian has shown he has superior footwork. He stayed in the pocket against Anthony Joshua, countering him at will, and avoided getting hit with big shots. Frank Warren, however, expects Fury to overpower the Ukrainian.
“He’s in tremendous shape not just physically but mentally. He’s in a very good shape I think, and although he had that cut it has come good as he has had back-to-back camps. Physically I have never seen him look so well. The worry was going straight into a training camp was that he’d peak too soon. He has worked really hard so that he is in his best nick on May 18,” Warren stated
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