The four cold words Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk fear hearing in their rematch

Fury and Usyk are fighting for their legacies this weekend, writes Steve Bunce. Neither will want the awful realisation that this has been one fight too far

In boxing we have an expression we use during a fight if one of the boxers looks bad: “He got old overnight.”

We use the cold expression when a fighter suddenly looks like an old man, his timing is off, he looks a lot slower suddenly, he doesn’t want to be there and he gets beat.

In Riyadh this week, there have been a lot of late-night chats about Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk and the very real possibility that one of the men could get old overnight in Saturday’s fight. They have a trilogy fight signed and sealed, but getting old in the ring can change everything.

The pair fight a rematch of their May brawl, and in the first fight they were exhausted at the end of 12 rounds. Usyk looked close to collapse; Fury was marginally better. It was Fury’s 36th fight and he is 36, and for Usyk it was his 22nd professional fight and he is 37 – nearly 38. Usyk also had over 100 international amateur contests at the highest level.

Fury had the wandering years out of the ring, a disturbing time when he lost his way, gained all the weight and struggled with addictions and afflictions. They have both devoted large chunks of their adult life to being in camp, sparring for weeks as part of an intense 10- or 12-week training camp. The physical and mental toll is immense, and the pressure of being the king, the champion, is also a drain.

This week, both have talked about their love and need for the rigours of training camp.

Fury has spoken about never taking a day off, running on holiday and working out when at home with his family. He also claims not to have spoken to his wife, Paris, in three months. It’s an obsession, and not necessarily a healthy one. Usyk also has the strain of dealing with repeated bad news from the frontline in Ukraine. It is hard to imagine the relentless pressure the pair are under, just to live what passes as a normal life.

Usyk (left) came close to stopping Fury in round nine of their first showdown (PA Archive)

Usyk seems relaxed this week and Fury is ready to fight, agitated in an expected way; there is far less humour this time, far fewer quirky moments. Usyk has worn a couple of fun outfits, but Fury has just wrapped up in coats and hats, as if he is out for a run in Morecambe Bay and not preparing for the fight of his life in Riyadh. On Wednesday, he laced up his gloves for the public workouts, yet he never threw a punch.

It has been odd, unsettling in some ways, and it raises a question about their apparently contrasting states of mind.

“I just want to smash him,” has been Fury’s endless mantra. Meanwhile, Usyk has joked about being inside Fury’s head. The words, really, are not important; the truth about their state of mind will be revealed from actions, not insults.

They are both fighting for their legacies, and Fury knows he must win; Usyk is assured of a high place on every list of modern heavyweights, after his win in May made him the division’s first undisputed champion in 25 years (he achieved the same feat at cruiserweight, by the way, earlier in his glittering career).

Usyk was crowned the winner – and undisputed champion – after beating Fury via split decision (PA)

Fury needs revenge to enter that elite group. It’s just another factor, another consideration for the night of the fight. It also comes with pressure.

However, legacy, riches and revenge will be forgotten if either man has that awful realisation: that it is simply one fight too far. It is a hidden fear in the boxing game, something awful that all fighters dread.

There are no deep rumours about signs of decline, but that means little. It is true that both boxers have kept extremely private conditions during their camps; leaks have been rare, facts have been few, and scares have not been mentioned. They look good, sharp-eyed, determined, but that also can mean nothing once the first bell sounds for the last time.

Fury and Usyk delivered a relentless fight in May, brutal at times and tactical at others. Usyk won a tight decision at a huge physical cost. The simple truth is that big, seasoned men like Fury and Usyk can only give so much. Usyk looks fresher, and that could be the deciding factor.