Tyson Fury failed when he twice tried to hand Oleksandr Usyk his first professional defeat in 2024. Now his uncle and former coach, Peter Fury, has highlighted a key reason why he believes the ‘Gypsy King’ was unable to beat the Ukrainian.

Peter Fury trained his nephew before famously winning the world heavyweight title against Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, which was arguably the most impressive victory of his career. However, after a three-year break from the sport, Fury returned with Ben Davison in his corner.

Davison teamed with Fury for five fights until SugarHill Steward was named for the rematch with Deontay Wilder; a move that proved successful because “Kronk’s” style helped the Fury to two legendary triumphs over the “Brown Bomber”.

However, fighting for the undisputed throne, Fury and Steward were unable to defeat Usyk, and the Briton suffered the first defeat of his career before losing again in the rematch.

I’m talking to talkSPORT BoxingPeter Fury, who trained Rico Verhoeven in his controversial clash with Usyk last month, explained that his nephew was not forward enough in his fights with Usyk, believing he did not exploit his height to his advantage.

“As soon as the opening bell rings [went] and I saw how he was doing, I thought, “He’s doing it wrong.” You’re the bigger man, you step on 20 stone and do all the wrong things; instead of moving forward [you’re] standing back.

“He has his team there and I’m not criticizing anyone, but both tactics were not good in both fights. Something went wrong because when you look at Usyk’s structure and what he does, if you distance yourself and try to box an elite boxer who is lighter than you, who is giving away pounds, he will harass you all over the shop.”

Verhoeven’s efforts and Peter Fury’s tactics against Usyk have been praised over the past two weeks and described by some as hosting Usyk’s “toughest professional fight”, and the Dutchman has now climbed into the world rankings despite losing the fight.

Katie Taylor will retire from her professional career on September 5 in Croke Park, Dublin, with her promoter Matchroom Boxing expected to confirm the fight at a news conference at the stadium on Friday. The gala will be Taylor’s first fight at Ireland’s national stadium, which will headline her campaign from 2022.

Taylor, 39, will face Flora Pili of France for the vacant WBC super lightweight title Reported to BoxingScene. Taylor already holds the WBA, IBF and WBO 140-pound belts, so a victory would restore her undisputed status at that weight and make her a three-time undisputed champion in two divisions.

The WBC title became available after Sandy Ryan left the sport to have a child. Pili, the mandatory challenger to Taylor’s IBF title, is the top contender for the vacant belt.

Pili’s road to the headline

Pili (12-0, 2 KO) turned professional in 2019 and within three years won the French junior welterweight title. The 28-year-old from Saint-Avold added a European title in 2023 and won the IBO belt in December with a 10-round majority decision over Serbian Jelena Janicijevic. She hasn’t faced an opponent of Taylor’s stature before.

Taylor (25-1, 6 KO) won Olympic gold in London in 2012 and five amateur world titles before turning professional in 2016. She became the undisputed champion at lightweight and again at super lightweight, and last fought in July when she defeated Amanda Serrano for the third time in a trilogy at Madison Square Garden, streaming on Netflix.

First Croke Park fight since 1972

The event will be the first boxing event at Croke Park since Muhammad Ali defeated Al “Blue” Lewis in a non-title fight in 1972. The owner of the 82,000-seat stadium is the Gaelic Athletic Association, and Eddie Hearn cited the inability to reach an agreement with the GAA as the reason for the suspension of previous attempts to organize the Taylor fight there.

Speaking to RTE earlier this year, Taylor described the venue as the final ambition of her career. “Ending my career in Croke Park would be the icing on the cake. I’ve fought at Madison Square Garden. I’ve fought at the Excel Arena in London. I’ve fought all over the world. Honestly, it might even top everything if I ended my career here,” she said.

Friday’s press conference will be held in Croke Park and will be broadcast on DAZN. Ticket information and final opponent confirmation are expected to be released at the time of announcement.

Daniel Dubois did not guarantee an immediate rematch with Fabio Wardley, saying he is focused on staying vigorous and defending his WBO heavyweight title rather than waiting for one opponent.

Wardley activated his rematch clause following his 11th-round loss to Dubois in April. After the fight, the Londoner rose from being knocked down early in the fight to maintain control and gradually break down the champion under constant pressure.

While a second fight has been widely discussed, Dubois suggested nothing has been finalized yet.

“Yes, well that’s what they’re talking about, but I’m not going to wait for anyone,” Dubois said when asked about Wardley in an interview on talkSPORT. “I’m going to take care of this belt, defend it.”

The 28-year-old added that he wants to continue to build on the success he has achieved after reaching the top of the heavyweight division.

“I can’t wait to start improving, getting out there and maximizing what we’ve done since I was a kid being taken to the gym with my dad. And now here we are,” Dubois said.

Dubois won the WBO title with a dramatic knockout victory over Wardley, who entered the fight with back-to-back wins over Justis Huni and Joseph Parker. Wardley had early success and scored a knockdown, but Dubois gradually took control as the fight progressed.

Dubois’ bulky shots left Wardley with severe marks around his eyes and a bloody nose before the referee stopped the fight in the 11th round. There was then a debate on whether the fight should have been stopped early.

Frank Warren has repeatedly indicated that a rematch is the likely next step, and Wardley has already confirmed that he intends to exercise his contractual right to a second fight.

Dubois’ latest comments do not rule out this outcome. However, they explain that he does not want to postpone his career until the negotiations are completed. The heavyweight champion wants activity and is focused on defending his belt rather than waiting for a fight schedule to be set.

Olly Campbell is a boxing journalist covering this sport since 2014, providing reports from the ring and technical analyzes of the most critical fights. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments and the details that shape high-level competition.

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Last update: 2026/06/04 at 12:38