Tyson Fury is making a mistake by piling on the pounds ahead of his boxing rematch with Oleksandr Usyk next month.
That’s according to former boxing star Duke McKenzie, who insists the Gypsy King would be unwise to bulk up as he looks to beat his rival and avenge his defeat from earlier in the year.
Usyk was too strong for Fury back in May, with the Ukrainian winning via split decision.
It was the Briton’s first professional loss of his career and, on December 21, he’ll be hoping to make amends by reigning supreme in their rematch.
Boxing news: Duke McKenzie thinks Tyson Fury is unwise to pile on the pounds for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk
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Fury has suggested he’s going to bulk up for the second bout, with the 36-year-old insisting he’s targeting a knockout.
But McKenzie, speaking on talkSPORT, has advised the veteran against that tactic – insisting it won’t be enough to trouble Usyk.
“He [Fury] doesn’t live, eat, walk, talk the sport but you’re supposed to,” said the 61-year-old.
“In-between fights is where fights are won and lost. We know Fury blows up, puts on a load of weight between fights and then he has got to get rid of all that weight again.
“Now, they’re trying to tell us that Fury is going to be bigger and better.
“Bigger and better isn’t going to beat Usyk. It’s really not.
“If he puts on more weight and thinks to himself ‘I’m going to bully Usyk this time, I’m going to go in and walk him down, I’ll be able to take his shots because I’m that much bigger’, it’s not going to work for him.
“He’s going to be slower, he’s going to be more predictable, he’s going to get hit more and a lot sooner…
“Usyk wins the rematch all day long, I can’t see how Tyson Fury beats him. He’s not going to knock Usyk out.
“This guy is unbeaten, so you have to look for chinks in his armour.
“Has this guy got a bad engine? Does he get cut? Does he go down? Does he have to get up off the floor to win fights?
“Usyk doesn’t have to do any of them, he’s never shown a vulnerability.”
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Fury, however, fancies his chances.
He has previously insisted he performed well against Usyk in their first bout and has learnt lessons from that encounter.
Fury has no plans to cut his father John from his corner, having shared a snap of themselves working hard in the gym earlier this week.
And the Briton insists the shackles are off as he looks to make amends for his defeat back in May.
Boxing news: Tyson Fury lost his bout with Oleksandr Usyk back in May
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Last time I went to box him, I was being cautious,” Fury told TNT Sports.
“I boxed the head right off him. 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. I’m going to knock a m**********r out!”