A body language expert has determined the winner of Oleksandr Usyk's much-anticipated fight against Tyson Fury.
On Saturday night, Fury will look to seek revenge on Usyk as the pair go to battle again inside the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Ahead of the bout, Fury weighed in at a career-high of 20st 1lb (281lb), with the Ukrainian recording a weight of 16st 2lb (226lb).
Last time out, Usyk beat the Brit on points to become the undisputed champion of the world.
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With the fight just hours away, a body language expert has predicted the winner of the bout.
Expert Judi James stated that Usyk has the upper hand heading into the fight and has backed the Ukrainian to defend his titles.
She told BetUK: "Usyk won the ten-minute stare-off. He was so still and solid I believe he could still be there now in the same pose. This suggests physical and mental resilience and calm purpose that is breath-taking.
"His eye-stare looks fixed and focused, making him look silently prepped for the fight. His blink-rate is almost negligible, hinting at a lack of tension or stress and when he does blink it is a hard blink, showing inner anger.
"The man has no body language signs of weakness apart from a couple of subtle tells during the face-off when his mouth seemed to be twitching in what could be a hint of inner anxiety."
When speaking about Fury, James said that the Brit was 'hiding or not wanting to be somewhere'.
She added: "His body language at both the conference and the weigh-in is so subdued that it looks like an over-kill, over-congruent and inauthentic act. His crinkly eye-smiles keep trying to erupt and he seems to be supressing them physically by running a hand over his beard or face. Supressing like this takes emotional energy that he should probably be saving for the fight.
"He arrived for the weigh-in with his hands stuffed into his pockets, which is a gesture associated with hiding or not wanting to be somewhere. He lurked at the back of the stage and he left the stage before doing an interview.
"A comparison of their body language would place the chance of a win in Usyk’s corner then. Fury seems too busy trying to be something he’s not and it is not intimidating his opponent by doing so, but it could confuse him. It suggests he’s floundering, switching states as an announcement to his fans rather than himself."
How to watch Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk
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To watch Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk go head to head, there are three options:
1.) You can watch the rematch on DAZN with no subscription required. All you need to do is buy the PPV for £24.99 and you will automatically get a seven-day free trial which you can later cancel to stop the subscription from rolling over. You’ll be able to stream the match on a range of devices including PlayStation, Chromecast, and Smart TV. If you do decide to roll over your free trial, you’ll move onto a monthly plan costing £24.99 per month and get access to over 150 fights every year, with the option to cancel with 30 days’ notice.
2.) You can also tune in live on Sky Sports Box Office (Sky channel 491). The event is priced at £24.95 for Sky customers in the UK and €27.95 if you’re based in the Republic of Ireland. Sadly Sky does not offer free trials, but Sky subscribers can book the match here and if you’re new to Sky, you can sign up here.
3.) Finally, you can watch the fight on TNT Sports with a Prime Video subscription (free for the first month then £8.99/ month), provided you have discovery+ (from £3.99/ month) as part of your subscription. If you don't fancy shelling out, you can simply cancel your subscription after the first month.
Topics: Boxing, Boxing News, Heavyweight Boxing, Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury
Marcus Chan