I’ve sparred Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk here’s who wins the rematch
Few men are better positioned to deliver a prediction on Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury II than Fabio Wardley.
The British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion has sparred with both men during his rise to the top and is confident about who will get their hand raised when they rematch on December 21.
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"I think it's a lot of the same, to be honest," he told .
"I think Usyk will go into the fight with the mindset, like he has done with all of his fights, that just narrow focus, straight on target, on point, not missing the beat, not missing the step.
"Maybe, Fury will say that his camp wasn't ideal, or he wasn't in the best place or the best shape, or whichever else who, who knows...
"So maybe the loss was what he needed to go right 100 per cent back in and maybe he comes out differently.
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"But if I was to put money on it, I'd say it goes pretty much the same way."
Usyk handed Fury the first defeat of his professional career in May via split decision and scored a standing eight count on his rival en route to the famous victory.
In doing so, he became the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
But when they run it back next month Fury and Usyk will only be competing for three of the four major sanctioning body belts after the IBF stripped the Ukrainian.
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Fury is expected to adopt a more aggressive approach for the second fight and has promised a knockout to his fans.
The Mancunian's coach Andy Lee claims Fury was unable to do any proper sparring ahead of his last outing with Usyk after sustaining a cut above his right before their initial planned meeting, which could prove to be a decisive change for their next encounter.
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"It was a close fight, I thought it could have been a draw but I had no arguments with Usyk getting the decision," Lee told talkSPORT.
"Fights are won and lost in the ring, but also in training and preparation. Because of the rearranged date because of the cut, Tyson couldn't spar.
"The conditioning and sharpness it took away, and his ability to concentrate and stay ready and sustain attacks.
"When Tyson would have success he would have to ease off and back away and build up his energy again before moving on.
"In the meantime, it encouraged Usyk to come forward and gave him the emphasis to take it because he was taking a break."
If Fury wins their rematch then he insists they will have to fight for a third time to prove who really is the best.
But if Usyk wins then his manager insists the only fight left for him to have is a rematch with newly crowned IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois.
"Would we set up a fight with Dubois if Usyk beats Fury? Absolutely," Klimas told .
"I don’t think anyone else is left in the heavyweight division. Right now, Daniel Dubois is the IBF champion."
Usyk stopped Dubois in August after being dropped by a shot that divided fans and media alike.
Some claimed the punch, which floored Usyk for several minutes, was legal and should have been counted while others insisted it had strayed low.
The referee determined it was an illegal blow and so Usyk was given four minutes to recover before coming back to knock out Dubois in the ninth round with a jab.
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"Many people discussed the first fight, claiming it wasn’t a low blow, but it undoubtedly was," Klimas added.
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"The referee gave us recovery time, and I believe any smart fighter would use that chance.
"For many, this raised questions, and for Oleksandr, a fight with Dubois after Fury would be the ideal opportunity to show he can beat him and become the undisputed heavyweight champion a second time.”
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