Oleksandr Usyk’s Weakness Puts Tyson Fury’s Trainer on High Alert

Is Oleksandr Usyk’s kryptonite a well-placed body shot? In his last fight against Daniel Dubois, he seemed hurt when Dubois punched him in the body. It was later deemed a low blow, which sparked debate among fans. Some weren’t convinced, pointing to his struggles against body punches.

Can Tyson Fury’s trainer capitalize on this? The undefeated Tyson Fury (34-0-1) will challenge Usyk (21-0-0) for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18th in Saudi Arabia. This fight for the ages will determine the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000. Will Fury exploit Usyk’s supposed weakness, or will Usyk’s technical skills reign supreme?

Can Body Shots from Tyson Fury Crack Usyk’s Armor?ADVERTISEMENT

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Sugar Hill Steward, Tyson Fury’s trainer, sheds light on the ongoing debate about Oleksandr Usyk’s ability to take body shots. “It’s not like every time he gets touched to the body or people look at his body, he goes crazy and wants to go into his shells,” Steward clarified.

Furthermore, Steward elaborates, “Obviously, the man was hurt with two body shots on record that we’ve been able to see.” This admission acknowledges that while there have been instances of Usyk showing susceptibility, they are far from definitive proof of a consistent weakness. However, Steward is quick to add a strategic layer to this observation. He points out, “And, you know, the rest of his career, I don’t know how body shots even affect him.”

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He emphasized, “But obviously, you want to make sure that you cover everything. So it’s not, the whole plan is not just go to his body, his body, his body.” Moreover, Steward highlights the art of seizing opportunities in boxing, “I mean, the man hasn’t hit anybody. You take whatever’s open. That’s just, that’s supposed to be the art of the game. If one’s open, take it. If the other one’s closed, go the other way.”

In the same interview, he talked about Tyson Fury’s cut and what it could mean in the fight.

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Will Oleksandr Usyk target Fury’s cut?Tyson Fury’s cut above his eye was the reason this fight didn’t happen in February and was postponed to May 18th. When the interviewer asked Fury’s trainer, that if Usyk would target his eye or not, his response was very honest. “Obviously anybody with good sense would try to go for what’s already damaged or just tender to have an advantage, because that’s boxing and it’s well within the rules of boxing,” he said.

He continued, “If a man has a cut or some kind of injury like that that may open up and you can get the win then why not go for it? If I was on the opposite side training Usyk, yeah I would definitely be trying to say try to aim for his cut more, where he was cut at.” So it’s very clear that it’s gonna be a huge target for Usyk.

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What other surprises might lie in store within this high-stakes chess match of boxing? And who do you think would target the other’s weaknesses better? Let us know what you think.