Tyson Fury betrayed one key behaviour before slugging it out with Oleksandr Usyk which proved he would lose the fight, a body language expert has claimed.
The Gypsy King went the distance with Usyk but was beaten for a second time this year by him as all three judges scored it 116-112 to the Ukrainian – a clean sweep which left Fury indignant.
Fury stormed out of the ring after learning the result and later told Sky Sports that he felt he had won by three rounds, while co-promoter Frank Warren called a defeat by that margin ‘impossible’.
And so Usyk retained his WBA, WBC and WBO belts – but it was written in the stars after Fury’s body language giveaway, says guru Judi James.
‘There was one key gesture though that seemed to signal a motivational glitch or problem and which acted as a red flag in terms of his chances of winning this fight,’ James told BetUK.
‘A very chilling gesture of the puffing out of air as he got down to the business of the fight suggested he just wanted to get it over with, whereas successful boxers tend to look excited by and longing for the fight itself.
Tyson Fury’s body language gave away that he was destined to lose the fight against Oleksandr Usyk, says body language expert Judi James
As he got down to business, he had a habit of puffing out air, which suggested he wanted to get it over with – rather than being excited
In his post-match press conference he betrayed ‘childlike sadness and bewilderment’ as well as ‘anger’ and ‘vulnerability’
‘Some of the best boxers have approached their fights looking like dogs pulling to get off the leash and get stuck in.’
Lennox Lewis and co-promoter Bob Arum had told Mail Sport before the fight how Fury needed to be more aggressive and impose his physicality on Fury if he wanted to improve on the split decision loss from May.
Fury came in with an official 55lbs weight advantage over Usyk and tried to take the centre ground as much as he could, throwing 509 punches to his opponent’s 423.
But Usyk landed a much better percentage of his punches and grew into the fight with his stamina, with the judges collectively giving Fury just one round out of the last six.
In the press conference, Fury was asked what’s next for him after coming up short in undisputed and then unified title fights, signalling the first losses of his entire professional career.
‘You might see me fight again, you might not,’ he cryptically answered. Many fans will hope his future involves a long-awaited dust-up with Anthony Joshua.
Body language expert James added: ‘Fury’s body language at this press conference suggested anger and indignation but there was also a display of vulnerability and an almost childlike sadness and bewilderment.
‘He began by posing as a winner, hanging his jacket on the back of Frank Warren’s chair in a gesture of territorial marking and then raising both arms in the air with his hands curled into fists to take the applause from the journalists.
Fury’s celebrations after the fight were merely theatrical, explained James to BetUK
Oleksandr Usyk retained his three belts as he beat Fury for a second time this year
All three judges scored the fight 116-112 in favour of the Ukrainian, though many disagreed
‘The way he then rubbed his nose in a cut-off gesture made the victory displays look like acted bravado though and he stared at the press with wide, rounded eyes from a battered face while his deep sighs registered sadness.
‘His “I won that fight” came with a smacking of the lips and then a lip clamp to suggest he’d hear no argument.
‘But then the hurt began to show. Fury rocked in his chair in a self-comfort ritual and in a micro-gesture of pain he shook his head from side to side, rubbed his mouth and closed his eyes in a wince.
‘His “It is what it is” sounded like a verbal shrug but his eyes began to look tearful as he held his hand over his moustache and mouth before wiping his nose in an agitated way and performed a sickly grin.
‘His pose started to make him look like a small child and his shoulders hunched upward while both his hands clutched at his drinks can. He rocked harder in his chair as he said he was “Going to go home to have a good Xmas”.
‘Then his head dropped and his face became hidden by the shadow of the brim of his cap. When his eyes became visible they looked tearful. He popped his gum like a kid and then let rip in terms of his anger, aiming it at “Computers” and, randomly, “Electric cars”.
‘He refused to talk about his future here, sticking with plans for Xmas alone and pushing any decisions into the new year.’
Indeed, Fury had been told that an AI-powered judge had scored him as the loser in the contest, and he cut that comment short thrift.
”F*** all computers,’ Fury said. ‘More jobs for humans.’
