Eddie Hearn is picking Tyson Fury to beat Oleksandr Usyk on points on Saturday night in his DAZN PPV rematch in Riyadh. Fight promoter Hearn has been pretty open about why he’s picking England-born Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) to win, saying it’s because he’s “british” and because of “what might come”, which is code for the mega-fight against anthony joshua.
Money Talks
The the boxing establishment wants Fury, 36, to win this fight because having him as the unified heavyweight champion is great for business. Anger represents money. So it’s no surprise that there is a certain despair to defeat Usik.
That gives you an idea of what Usyk is up against on Saturday night. He is in the same position as Fury’s previous opponents, who looked like they had beaten him, but had their victories taken away from them. Tyson should probably have four losses on his resume, not one. It’s hard to beat a fighter when he’s as popular as Fury.
You have to give Hearn credit for being transparent about his bias, even if he is self-service. It’s very difficult for Matchroom-promoted Joshua to make a fight against Fury if he wins Saturday night against WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight champion Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
Honesty or self-interest?
“I think people forget how close the fight was.” It’s hard not to pick Alexander Usyk for this fight, but I had two rounds max for Alexander Usyk. “Obviously, it was strange for these permanent counters,” Eddie Hearn said Matchroom Bookingtalking about Tyson Fury’s first fight against Oleksandr Usyk earlier this year on May 18th.
“I expect another very close fight on Saturday.” I choose Tyson Fury for many reasons. I’m channeling my inner karma on him, because of obviously what could be coming (the Anthony Joshua mega-fight), and the fact that we’re British too.
If Hearn had nothing to gain from Fury’s victory on Saturday, it would be interesting to know if he would still consider him the winner. My guess is no. Even with a massive 40-pound size advantage, Fury isn’t on the same level as Usyk in terms of talent, and he doesn’t look like the same fighter physically going into the rematch as he did seven months ago when he lost a 12-round split decision.
“I have a sneaky feeling.” I saw things yesterday and I thought he (Fury) looked really relaxed. Usik speaks very brazenly, this time really differently. “I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but I’m going to Tyson Fury and I’m going to Tyson Fury on points,” Hearn said.
