Lennox Lewis: Fury Must Do More to Beat Usyk in Rematch

Lennox Lewis believes Tyson Fury will need to do much more in their upcoming heavyweight rematch on December 21 to defeat Oleksandr Usyk. Fury, 36 will be seeking revenge after suffering a split decision loss in their first encounter in May. Lewis a former undisputed heavyweight champion, is confident Fury can win if he learns from his previous mistakes. “I think Fury learned what he needs to do next time,” Lewis said on the 5 Live Boxing with Steve Bunce podcast.

“He didn’t do enough in the first fight. He needs to do a lot more. I like him a bit heavier and not moving around as much.” Lewis emphasized that Fury must conquer his own doubts and put in the work to bounce back. Moreover, drawing from his own experiences, Lewis pointed out that Fury has been through highs and lows before and knows how to recover.

In addition, he stressed the importance of Fury staying focused and using what he’s learned to improve in their rematch. Usyk, 37 is the unified heavyweight champion and handed Fury his first career loss in May. In contrast, before Usyk’s victory, Lewis was the last man to hold the undisputed heavyweight title. He achieved that feat in 1999 after defeating Evander Holyfield in a rematch.

Furthermore, Lewis is no stranger to rematches, having twice avenged losses during his career—against Hasim Rahman in 2001 and Oliver McCall in 1997 after a 1994 defeat. At 59, Lewis reflected on his own motivations for those fights, saying that revenge drove him. He described how he focused intensely on his opponents. Mentally, he prepared himself for the battles by constantly thinking about them.

As a result, Lennox Lewis believes Fury can adopt a similar mindset especially considering this is his first career loss. Finally, Lewis is confident that Fury will channel his determination and mental strength for the rematch with Usyk. He believes Fury’s experience will help him overcome setbacks.