The countdown to the rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk has begun. And so has the influx of predictions for the fight. Amid all the speculation, former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis has revealed how the ‘The Gypsy King’ can defeat Ukraine’s pride and joy on December 21st in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by using his bout against Evander Holyfield.

But before that, let’s turn back the clock a little. ‘The Lion’ Lewis took on Evander Holyfield back in 1999 at the Madison Square Garden in New York. After 12 rounds of battle, the bout ended with a split decision draw. A short eight months later, the pair got back in the ring one more time to settle the debate once and for all.

After another epic skirmish, Lewis got his hand raised after the final bell, winning the fight via unanimous decision. While Usyk won his first fight against Fury in May earlier this year, it was close enough for Lewis to look back at his own experience with Holyfield to deduce what Fury should do to ensure he gets the win in the rematch with Usyk.

“I think it’s gonna be a banger. It’s gonna be a serious fight,” Lewis told Fight Hub TV recently. “After the first fight, I actually went and watched my Evander Holyfield fight, and I was like, what’s different about our fight compared to Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk?” And Lewis seems to have come up with the prime reason why Fury lost.

“The difference is, one guy was more serious than the other guy,” Lewis said. However, now that the duo is getting back in the ring, Lewis has shared his expert advice on what Fury should be doing to tip the scale in his favor. “So he’s going to be more focused. He’s going to put a little bit more weight… And he’s a lot more serious,” Lewis told Fight Hub TV. 

In the meantime, Matchroom honcho has shared his prediction for the upcoming bout. 

Eddie Hearn feels Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury will be too close to predict

Eddie Hearn believes the highly anticipated rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will be a razor-close encounter. He told talkSport, “I think with what we saw from Usyk in the first fight, with his ability to digest information—I think it’s very difficult to pick against him.”

While Hearn is hopeful for a Fury win, he acknowledges that Fury will need to do something extraordinary to overcome Usyk. “He’s going to have to try and switch something up. The problem is Usyk adapts to all styles, he adapts to all situations.” Hearn also praised Usyk’s performance in their first encounter, saying, “Usyk walked down, backed up, and beat up at times a guy who was approaching 20 stone, 6ft 8ins.”

That being said, while Lennox Lewis has shared the blueprint for Tyson Fury’s win, Eddie Hearn is reluctant to bet against Oleksandr Usyk in the upcoming bout. This should paint a pretty picture of how close the fight is expected to be. But Fury has a history of coming back stronger—only time will tell whether he can do it this time. Who are you predicting to win?