Fury manager Brown: “Tyson’s style is uncontrollable”

In an interview with sport.de, Fury manager Spencer Brown reveals the “Gypsy King’s” battle plan for Part 2, why Usyk is so hard to crack – and whether the dream fight between Fury and Anthony Joshua will finally come in 2025.

Mr. Brown, how did Tyson Fury prepare for his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk on December 21 in Riyadh?

Spencer Brown: The training camp was fantastic. The conditions in Malta were fantastic. Every detail was thought of: the food, the driving service, the cooks. We had our own gym that nobody else could get into. No stone was left unturned.

How did Fury cope with the first defeat of his professional career in the first round?

After the fight, Tyson was very humble. He didn’t take it too hard. You have to remember that Usyk is an incredible fighter and a very good man. There were no harsh exchanges between the two – a bit of fun here and there. They are total professionals. What I notice with Tyson is that he knows he could have won this fight. He’s addressed some of the things he shouldn’t have done: the antics, the clowning around. He understands all that. It was one round, the fight was extremely close.

“This will be the biggest show of the year”

How did you experience the first fight in the ring?

Tyson was five rounds ahead of me at one point. He suddenly got an uppercut in that almost took Usyk’s head off. We thought that might be it. Usyk rallied, came back and came on strong at the end. He was fabulous. It was a great fight. Tyson got caught. If Usyk hits that punch (in the ninth round, ed.) a hundred more times, Tyson will probably never get hit by it again. But that’s when he scored.

Now we are here again. History is being written. We are very confident again. The first time we were also very sure that Tyson would make it. Tyson didn’t make it and afterwards he was pretty empty. This time he is well prepared. His diet was excellent. Let’s hope that both boxers come out of the fight uninjured. It’s a boxing match. It’s boxing history that’s happening. It will be the biggest show of the year.

Many experts suggest that your protégé should fight much more aggressively in the second duel and crush Usyk with a lot of body mass. What do you think of such advice?

Daniel Dubois never boxed Usyk around, Anthony Joshua never boxed Usyk around and Derek Chisora never boxed Usyk around. They’re all big, strong people. They all wanted to go through him. They never got through him. Usyk always finds a way, he’s a fabulous fighter. You have to be top to keep up with him. Tyson Fury has made it harder for him than anyone before him. Usyk would probably say that himself if you look at the way he looked after the fight. But there’s no question: he’s an incredible man.

“Every style has been tried against him”

There are reports that Fury will be heavier in the ring on Saturday than he was in May? Is that the case, has he put on a few pounds?

Only Tyson knows that. He is the one who fights Usyk. He makes his own decisions. We can’t take the punches for him. We can only advise him and help him.

What style will he use to seek success this time?

Every style has been tried against Usyk. This is a battle of wills. The bulldozer style seems to have no effect on Usyk. He drives his opponents in front of him and does not retreat. When you fight Usyk, you have to force him into reverse, so it doesn’t seem to be effective. If you let him come, you’re in trouble. Once he deciphers an opponent, there are very few on this planet that can beat him. We believe Tyson can beat him.

“Not a big puncher? Just ask Wilder”

What are Fury’s advantages, what makes him a special fighter?

Everyone has seen Tyson’s greatest strengths. Where else can you find a 2.06-meter giant who can move and box like Tyson, who can change his stance?

He can do several styles, as you’ve seen: In the first fight against Deontay Wilder he boxed, in the second he went through him like a knife through butter. He was pretty heavy in the third fight. He had only been training for four weeks, his daughter was seriously ill in hospital. Tyson had a diabolical diet. He was out of shape and still managed it – and that was probably Wilder’s best performance. It was hard work, but he did it in style. A lot of people say Tyson is not a big puncher – just ask Deontay Wilder.

Tyson has a ‘Herky-Jerky style’ (uncontrollable; editor’s note), he has incredible footwork, he can dance. Ask his sparring partners how hard it is to get past his jab.

“Usyk has deceived us all”

An old boxing adage says that a good big boxer always wins against a good little one. That wasn’t the case in the first fight …

That’s a thing of the past, isn’t it? In most cases it is. But with Usyk we’re talking about a super fighter. He was unbeatable for me at cruiserweight, then moved up to heavyweight. He was very clever, he fooled us all against Chisora. We thought he wasn’t that great. Everyone fell for it. Then Anthony Joshua fought him and we saw what he did to Anthony, even though AJ wasn’t bad.

How can you even beat Usyk?

I wouldn’t say that Usyk is invincible, he’s certainly not. But you have to be extremely fit, you have to be extremely clever, hit hard, you have to push him back. If you don’t do that, you lose. Usyk also has great timing. He knows exactly when an opponent is getting tired – and then he strikes. He didn’t do that against Tyson in the first six rounds, it was more of a chess match. He’s a strong counter-puncher and very clever. He knows exactly when to attack and when not to. He proved that. We are extremely confident. I think Tyson was pretty light last time (118.8 kilograms; ed.). Did that have anything to do with it? Who knows, but he’s going to be a big, strong man.

“We are blatant outsiders. We like that”

Word from England is that Tyson will weigh around 125 kilos this time …

I wouldn’t believe everything you hear. Maybe he’ll get into the ring super easily. We’re not letting the cat out of the bag. He’s very strong at the moment. Maybe he weighs 115 kilos.

Bottom line: Your tip, your forecast for December 21?

The bottom line is … I’ve been thinking about this for weeks and I always think different things depending on the day. What I see right now – nobody has knocked Usyk out yet. Dubois was close, I thought the punch was legit. It’s going to be a close fight and Tyson wins on points. The bookies are saying Tyson can’t win, we’re the underdogs. We like that. It’s going to be an exciting night.

You mention Daniel Dubois’ punch against Usyk in the summer of 2023, which sent the Ukrainian to the ground but which the referee judged to be low. Are hits to the body Usyk’s decisive weak point?

Usyk is not invincible. That’s one weakness he has. He must have one. That seems to be his kryptonite, the body shots. And Tyson hits a lot of them, he’s excellent at it.

“Fury vs. Joshua is the biggest fight there is”

Whatever the outcome of the fight, the whole world is still waiting for a duel between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Your colleague Eddie Hearn says that whether Tyson wins or loses, this fight will never lose its appeal …

This is the biggest fight there is in boxing. If you announce it for Wembley tomorrow, it will be sold out in five minutes. If you do it in Riyadh, the flights are booked out in 20 minutes, that’s how big it is. Both are aware of this. Could it be Tyson’s last dance – maybe. I think the fight is coming, I really do, and it’s going to be huge.

But the point is, there could be a rubber match if Tyson wins against Usyk, the deciding fight. I’m sure Tyson will like a trilogy. There are so many options. Boxing is so exciting right now. It’s back in fashion. We seem to be in a golden era, which is great for us in the boxing business. It’s all down to Saudi Arabia, what they’ve done: 50-50 fights, the money they’ve spent, the PR, the videos. As long as they’re involved, boxing has a chance, a big chance actually.

Text: Martin Armbruster / This article first appeared on sport.de