Tyson Fury, the two-time heavyweight champion, has decided to shave off his contentious beard just days after his second consecutive loss to rival Oleksandr Usyk. The ‘Gypsy King’ is currently taking a well-deserved break with his family following his high-profile rematch with the Ukrainian.. Fury, aged 36, experienced the first defeat of his professional career in May at the hands of ‘The Cat’. In an attempt to redeem himself against Usyk, the British heavyweight star took his rematch preparations seriously, even admitting that he hadn’t spoken to his wife for over three months leading up to the fight.. Unfortunately, it still wasn’t enough to inflict the first defeat on Usyk’s professional record. In their second encounter, Fury showed significant improvement in his boxing.. The Brit started aggressively, clearly aiming for an early finish. Fury had considerable success in the initial rounds – effectively targeting Usyk’s body and making good use of his jab.. However, the momentum shifted before the halfway mark as the Ukrainian’s agility and speed proved too much for Tyson – leading to the 37-year-old being declared the winner by unanimous decision, reports the Mirror.. Following their encounter in Riyadh, images of the two fighters surfaced, showing both men having emerged relatively unharmed and without injuries. A friend of Fury’s has disclosed that the Morecambe boxer has made a significant adjustment just days after losing to Usyk.. Jimmy Harrington unveiled that the ‘Gypsy King’ has gone clean-shaven and is presently taking some time out with his family. During a chat with Boxing King Media concerning whether Fury had removed his beard, Harrington – who said he visited Tyson recently – confirmed: “Yeah, he’s shaved his beard off. He’s obviously back at home in Morecambe now with his family.. “He’s just doing his day-to-day things… going out for coffee, going out with his family and doing his tips runs as well as getting back into family and father life. He’s been away for three months not seeing his family. He’s just spent Christmas at home and I believe that he’ll spend the New Year’s (Eve) at home and not going away.”. Fury’s beard became a talking point in the build-up to his bout with Usyk, with Usyk’s camp insisting that the Brit should trim his beard before they fought. Ultimately, Fury won the argument to retain his beard for the fight.. Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter, spoke to Sky Sports and said: “He has a beard and there’s been a lot of fighters over the years who’ve fought with beards, and that’s it.”. He also disclosed that Usyk would not be permitted to have the crucifix – a gift from Greek monks – in his corner. The Ukrainian is well-known for kissing the cross during the first fight and maintained that the religious item was a source of inspiration for him.. He explained: “After the fight there was a lot of speculation, they weren’t sure what it was. 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.”
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