Tyson Fury’s sparring partner reveals crucial change for Oleksandr Usyk rematch

Tyson Fury’s sparring partner Kevin Lerena has revealed a important quality successful the British heavyweight’s mentation for his blockbuster rematch successful Riyadh pinch Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury’s trim to his look delayed the first conflict and the South African fighter, who holds the WBC’s bridgerweight world title, has now revealed really the erstwhile world champion dialled backmost his sparring and full rounds successful training earlier his first master defeat.

Now though, Lerena believes Fury has entered the highly-anticipated fight successful amended style pinch superior sparring and greater assortment to his crippled arsenic a result.

"A complete mindset shift, he was coming disconnected a loss, he was dialled in, complete attraction and a alteration successful his demeanour, he's amended prepared for this fight, successful the consciousness he's had much value rounds,” Lerena told IFL TV.

“For the first conflict aft the cut, he wouldn't person had the magnitude of rounds he would person wanted. This fight, it hasn't been a interest for him. I deliberation we'll spot a better, successful style Tyson, not successful position of assemblage shape, we're talking astir rounds successful the tank. I deliberation he'll person much rounds successful the vessel to ore and beryllium much effective than Usyk.

“You ne'er cognize what's going to come, you ne'er cognize if he'll unit the pace, container connected the backmost foot, wrestle you, erstwhile he boxes down his jab, uses his scope and reach, he's very difficult to hit. Nobody tin show maine different. When he switches on, he's a difficult man to fight."

Fury claimed he trim himself disconnected from his family during an aggravated training campy and has sported a agelong beard this week, arsenic he intends to avenge his sole master loss.

“It is interesting,” Sky Sports’s Andy Scott said connected Friday (20 December). “[Fury] is calling it ‘beast mode’, it’s very overmuch a campy mentality; he’s grown retired the beard [in] a difficult training camp.

“During the discussions, it was flagged by squad Usyk. ‘Will Tyson Fury beryllium required to trim that beard?’, presumably because it acts arsenic a cushion.

“The committee ruled ‘no’, because – arsenic it is – location are nary specified rules. They want a trim and neat beard, truthful they don’t want a crisp beard that you could usage to swipe connected your [opponent’s] look and aggravate a cut, and evidently they don’t want thing that is excessively extreme.

“But they were rather happy pinch that beard, and this is not stating the evident but: it’s not gonna turn [much] overnight! So, it is simply a alleviation that it isn’t gonna go a talking point, but it is worthy flagging.”

However, Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk told The Independent: “Beard norm is grossly violated, truthful Tyson’s beard has to beryllium trimmed. We will push it further.”

Krassyuk besides highlighted the WBC’s rules, specifically: “A boxer whitethorn [sport] a trimmed beard and/or moustache arsenic agelong as, [at] the discretion of the committee and the supervisor, the facial hairsbreadth thickness does not: (1) cushion aliases successful immoderate measurement impact the effect aliases trajectory of punches; aliases (2) origin cuts aliases abrasions to his rival.”

Fury, 36, has alternated betwixt being cleanable shaven and sporting a beard successful caller years. In his first conflict pinch Usyk, 37, he was cleanable shaven, while he had a shorter beard against Francis Ngannou past October.

Arguably his thickest beard to day was connected show during his trilogy conflict pinch Deontay Wilder successful 2021, erstwhile the Briton stopped his rival for the 2nd clip successful 3 fights – aft they initially drew successful 2018.