Tyson Fury, who admitted to a poor performance in his fight against Francis Ngannou, has lost weight ahead of his heavyweight title unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk, but former champion Lennox Lewis has expressed concern that Fury’s weight loss might affect his ability to withstand a hit to the chin.
Tyson Fury himself admits his performance was subpar. This was during his bout with Francis Ngannou last October. He’s determined to make things right, though. His heavyweight title unification match against Oleksandr Usyk is coming up this Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
Fury was a hefty 277 pounds when he faced Ngannou. His movement seemed sluggish, almost as if he didn’t see the former UFC heavyweight champ as a real threat. Fast forward seven months, and Fury’s dropped a significant amount of weight. Frank Warren, his promoter, guestimated on The MMA Hour that Fury’s probably around 259 pounds now.
On the surface, losing weight seems like a good move. Especially since Fury’s up against a smaller, quicker opponent in Usyk. But Lennox Lewis, the last undisputed heavyweight champ, wonders if Fury might’ve overreacted to his poor performance in the Ngannou fight.
Lewis doesn’t think Fury’s panicking, though. He just wasn’t happy with his last fight. So, he’s taking this one seriously. Lewis notes that Fury’s lost a lot of weight, especially in his legs. He’s a bit worried that if Fury gets hit on the chin, he might not have the strength in his legs to stay upright. Lewis, with his big legs, says it’s not easy to knock him down.
Fury’s been knocked down before, though. The most memorable instance was when Deontay Wilder almost flattened him. But Fury got back up and finished the fight. He then proceeded to demolish Wilder in their next two fights, after their first ended in a draw.
Lewis has some advice for Fury on how to handle the Usyk fight. He faced a similar situation when he fought Evander Holyfield. Despite being bigger, Lewis still had to contend with Holyfield’s speed and agility. After their first fight ended in a draw, Lewis came out on top in the rematch.
Lewis’s advice? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. He suggests Fury stick to his jab. Great heavyweights have great jabs, he says. That’s what leads them to become great heavyweights. They have great jabs, great combinations. Fury should use all the tools in his arsenal, including his uppercuts, right hand, and left hooks.
If Fury wins, he’ll be 35-0-1. It’d be hard to argue against ranking him as the best heavyweight of his generation. But Lewis doesn’t rank Fury quite as high in the all-time rankings. He thinks the competition Fury’s faced in his career doesn’t compare to the current crop of heavyweights.
Lewis calls Fury one of the greatest heavyweights ever. But he says the eras are different. His era was harder, Fury’s not so much. But, he says, it’s up to the people to judge that.