Recently, former British cruiserweight Johnny Nelson (45-12-2, 29 KOs) told the media that former two-time heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) is very likely to pull out of his December 21 rematch with Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs), as Fury lacks confidence in overcoming Usyk in a revenge bout.
Nelson said, “For this second fight, Tyson Fury needs to make significant changes. If Fury doesn’t change, he’ll be in deep trouble. Overall, I don’t believe Tyson Fury will step into the ring against Usyk for the rematch; he might just retire because he’s coming off his first professional loss, and there’s a big mental shadow for him now.”
The 35-year-old Tyson Fury suffered his first career defeat on May 18, losing to Usyk via a controversial split decision – 114-113, 113-114, 112-115 – and relinquished his WBC title. However, he stands to earn $76 million for the second fight, so it’s highly probable that Fury won’t pass up the financial opportunity.