Mike Tyson has warned Tyson Fury to approach his upcoming rematch against Oleksandr Usyk with caution.

The two heavyweights are set to face off again on December 21 in Riyadh, following Usyk’s victory over Fury in May, which marked the Brit’s first professional defeat. Usyk’s win made him the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.

Fury recently expressed his thoughts on the rematch, stating that it was Usyk’s destiny to win their previous fight. At the launch press conference, Fury said: “It’s actually been about four and half years – the Deontay Wilder II fight – since I was the underdog in a fight.

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“I’m looking forward to a fantastic fight. Oleksandr won the first fight fair and square. It was very close last time. I’ll be a bit more focussed, a lack of complacency and I should do the job. Nothing drastic has to change.

“A bit more of the same, a bit more focused, and I will be victorious. Last time it wasn’t my time to win or God would have given me victory. I’m very happy Usyk got the decision. That was meant to be, and we’re going to find out what is meant to be on December 21.

“I believe it’s my time this time and all things that happen – positive or negative – are lessons and we must learn from these things as humans, boxers, fathers and husbands. What we know is to go out there and knock each other out and put on a show for the paying customer. I hope you guys will enjoy this fight as much as I will.”

Fury has shared his determination to leave a mark, hinting at a change in strategy to ensure victory without the need for judges’ intervention. With the boxing community buzzing and the fight just around the corner, opinions are pouring in.

In an interview with talkSPORT before his own bout with Jake Paul, Tyson expressed his astonishment at the previous match’s result and offered his take on what ‘The Gypsy King’ needs to do to triumph in the upcoming December clash. “Hey listen, Usyk surprised everybody”, he remarked. “I think Tyson Fury played around too much, I think he needs to be taking this fight seriously and hopefully we get a different result to last time.”

As anticipation builds for the much-awaited sequel later this year, news has broken that Fury is beefing up his training squad by bringing in the young heavyweight sensation Moses Itauma to assist with his fight prep. At just 19, Itauma is already making waves and is seen as a future star in the heavyweight ranks.

The undefeated boxer is gearing up to take on Demsey McKean on the undercard of the Usyk-Fury fight. Itauma, who boasts an unblemished record, is slated to join Fury’s camp as a sparring partner for a stint of ‘two or three weeks’ at the start.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Itauma shared his thoughts: “I’ve got my own fight to think about. We’re kind of similar styles, the likes of me and Usyk, we’ve kind of got a similar style so I feel like I’ll be very beneficial for (Fury). It just complements me. It complements me but listen, I’m not going to go there just to help him. I want to gauge my ability off his ability. Obviously I’m looking forward to (that).”