It’s been five months since former undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk defeated former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury via split decision in their action-packed fight back in May. However, Fury’s corner, to this day, is carrying some of the blame for his loss, especially his father, John Fury, who has garnered a reputation for his outbursts. 

The pair is slated to appear in the ring again on December 21st at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for their rematch. Just like last time, public opinion is divided about who would emerge victorious in the end, especially because of how close the first fight was. Regardless, former British Cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson has claimed Fury’s loss wasn’t his corner’s fault. 

The Sky Sports boxing expert recently weighed in on the controversy in a feature, sharing insights from his own experience sparring with Fury and defending Fury’s corner from bearing the full brunt of the blame. “Oleksandr Usyk’s got the blueprint to beat Tyson Fury. You can’t blame the corner,” Nelson said. 

“They were all making noise about all the voices in Tyson’s corner. I don’t think it made any difference.” Nelson reflected on the final chapter of his boxing career, sharing a memory of enlisting Fury’s help for a sparring session when John Fury was ringside. “[John was] shouting and screaming at him and Tyson stopped in the ring and turned to his dad and said, ‘You get in the ring and spar with him.’ And they’re arguing. Tyson’s used to that,” Nelson said.

Instead, Nelson blames Fury himself for the loss, suggesting that the English boxer had underestimated the man in the opposite corner, and claims Fury has to respect the Ukrainian boxer now. He added that Tyson Fury often intimidates his opponents—bullies them, belittles them—to get inside their heads. “Usyk was having none of it and that’s where Tyson struggled. It was lost in translation,” Nelson said. 

Moreover, the retired world champion even shared his prediction about the upcoming fight. 

Johnny Nelson reveals what Tyson Fury has to do to win against Oleksandr Usyk

Speaking further through the feature on Sky Sports, Nelson reflected on Tyson Fury’s rematch with Usyk, sharing his advice on what the British heavyweight has to do to win the fight. “Fury has to be disciplined,” Nelson claimed. “He has to go out there no-nonsense, use the jab, use the switch-hitting style that he’s got.”

Nelson highlighted Fury’s ability to effortlessly switch between orthodox and southpaw stances, emphasizing that he should capitalize on this skill more, as it proved effective during their first fight. ‘The Entertainer’ felt, “I think Fury, he probably admits he took [the first fight] lightly. That was a fatal mistake because now Usyk’s done it once.”

And Nelson thinks history will repeat itself. “I think he’ll do it again. If I’m honest, I thought Fury would do him the first time. I thought Fury [was] too big, too strong, he’s got too much physicality about him.” 

That being said, it appears while Johnny Nelson has absolved Fury’s corner from causing his loss; he has also predicted that Oleksandr Usyk will win the fight again. Still, given how skilled both fighters are, only when they get in the ring, the reality of the situation will come to light. Who do you think will win the fight?