Tyson Fury seeks 'destroy mode' in rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh

Former world champion suffered his first defeat to the Ukrainian in the first bout in May

Tyson Fury faces Oleksandr Usyk on December 21 in Riyadh for the rematch of their heavyweight world title fight. Reuters

Former heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury said he plans to leave nothing to chance in his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in December and will aim for a knockout victory in Riyadh.

Fury suffered the first defeat of his professional career in the first bout in May – also held in the Saudi Arabian capital – when Usyk was awarded a split decision by the judges. The result made the Ukrainian the first undisputed heavyweight world champion in 24 years and the first of the four-belt era.

Fury, whose WBC belt and lineal champion status were on the line, took early control of the bout by using his superior size and reach to his advantage. He caught Usyk with vicious body shots and looked the more likely to secure a stoppage, but the Ukrainian battled back and turned the tide in the ninth round.

Usyk's powerful punches to the head left Fury reeling and the British fighter struggled through the final rounds of the bout before losing 115-112 and 114-113 on two of the scorecards. The third judge sided with Fury 114-113.

The rematch will take place on December 21 at the same Kingdom Arena venue with the WBC, WBO and WBA titles on the line. Usyk vacated the IBF belt soon after agreeing the rematch with Fury.

"I'm going to go in there with destroy mode. Last time I went to box him, I was being cautious. I boxed the head right off him," Fury, 36, told TNT Sports on Saturday.

"Let's talk facts. Anyone can get caught, as we've seen in a lot of these heavyweight fights, but this time I'm not going for a points decision."

A victory would make Fury a three-time heavyweight world champion, a feat only previously achieved by Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, Vitali Klitschko, and Evander Holyfield. Long-time rival Anthony Joshua had hoped to join the club last month but his bid was ended in destructive fashion by new IBF title holder Daniel Dubois, who inherited the belt from Usyk.

The defeat was also viewed as a significant setback to hopes that Joshua and Fury would finally fight after years of trading insults and threats. The pair did come close to settling their rivalry in 2020 when a two-fight deal was agreed and signed, but it ultimately collapsed when a judge in the United States ruled that former WBC champion Deontay Wilder had a legal right to request a trilogy bout with Fury.

However, Fury insisted that he is still keen on facing Joshua, despite the disastrous fifth-round knockout defeat to Dubois in the headline bout of Riyadh Season's first boxing show in London.

"At the end of the day, it would be a travesty if we didn't fight," Fury said. "No matter if he loses 20 more fights. If he doesn't win another fight and has 10 years away from the game, it doesn't matter, we have to fight."