Oleksandr Usyk banned from using 'mental tactic' in Tyson Fury rematch after confusing incident in first fight

Oleksandr Usyk has been banned from repeating a certain thing in his rematch against Tyson Fury after it caused confusion in their first bout.

Fury, 36, and Usyk, 37, will go toe-to-toe for the second time at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday evening.

The Ukrainian was awarded a majority decision points victory over the ‘Gypsy King’ back in May, crowning him as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis over two decades earlier.

Although he has since relinquished his IBF title, Usyk remains unbeaten and comes into the rematch as a unified champion - with Briton Daniel Dubois holding the other recognised world championship belt.

Last time out, Fury cut a jovial figure and repeatedly showboated during the first bout, appearing seemingly in control in the first six rounds of the 12 scheduled.

But Usyk came on strong in the last part of the fight and even almost finished Fury in round nine when referee Mark Nelson gave the Manchester-born heavyweight a standing count after he was caught with a relentless barrage of punches from the former cruiserweight.

Usyk will be hoping for much of the same on Saturday, but a ‘mental tactic’ he used between rounds in May has been banned.

The unbeaten champion could be seen kissing a cross necklace in the one-minute intervals between each round.

Rumours surfaced that it was an inhaler, but such speculation proved to be false.

Oleksandr Usyk often wears a crucifix necklace (Credit:Getty)

This time around, to avoid a similar situation, promoter Frank Warren has made it clear that water will be the only thing allowed to touch or pass fighters’ lips.

"After the [first] fight, there was a lot of speculation, they weren't sure what it was,” Warren told Sky Sports News.

“We just cut through it all. If there's anything that is used other than water that goes to the fighter's lips, then the inspector will take it away and hold it, and if anything is seen to be not correct, then they'll deal with it, test it, whatever that may be, what they have to do."

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.