As the fighters appeared at their official open workouts in Riyadh on Wednesday evening, both gave very little away.
Fury lost the pair’s first bout in May as Usyk became the heavyweight division’s first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis, but has brought what appears to be a more focused approach to fight week this time around.
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Asked whether he had surprises in store for Saturday night, Fury replied: “A lot of pain.
“Smash and damage.”
Then, asked about other topics, such as his grown out beard or his feelings towards promoting the fight, he continued: “A lot of hurt.
“Hurt. Serious hurt.
“A lot of damage.”
‘A completely different Fury’
Told of Fury’s remarks as he arrived in the ring shortly after, Usyk’s response was: “Ok.”
Usyk’s promoted Alexander Krassyuk, who speaks better English than the fighter, offered his own assessment of Fury’s approach.
“I see a completely different Tyson Fury,” Krassyuk said.
“He’s not playing any more. He’s so focused, concentrated. He doesn’t even smile anymore.
“This man probably made some homework. He probably realised that spoiling and distributing his energy is not the best idea.
“For this reason, he kept it really serious, like a monk, I would suggest.”
‘Fury’s approach reflects his task’
Sky Sports pundit Andy Clarke suggested that Fury’s approach reflects the former champion’s awareness of the magnitude of his task
“Because we’re used to him, and we’re used to Usyk, and we’re used to them being quite relaxed during the week, we can forget sometimes what it is that they’re actually doing in there on Saturday,” Clarke said.
“It’s an incredibly serious thing.
“The fact that Fury is where he is earlier in the week than we’d normally see it, it just tells you the task that he knows is on his hands.”
Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury’s huge heavyweight rematch will be live on Saturday December 21 on Sky Sports Box Office. Book Usyk v Fury 2 now!
