By Gav Duthie: As Arnie Schwarzenegger said in Kindergarten cop when asked “So who are you man” he replies I’m the party pooper”. Alexander Ustinov at just 4 days notice has the potential to ruin Tyson Fury’s party as the Brit faces the impressive Belorussian on Saturday.
Profile: Fighting background
Ustinov 29-1 (21) has fighting in his blood. He doesn’t have any boxing amateur record to speak of but boasts a “Kickboxing” record of 53-9-1-1 (31). He also fought a couple of fights of MMA and in total won 9 championship titles over kickboxing and Muay Thai disciplines and was never stopped.
He was undefeated in his last 19 bouts in kickboxing and in his final two years in the sport in 06-07 he also multi-tasked by competing in regular boxing amassing a 7-0 (7) record before switching to boxing full time in 2008. It is most likely after just passing 30 years of age he saw the earning potential in boxing and dedicated himself to the sport.
Boxing Style
Like other former kick boxers Matt Skelton and Vitaly Klitschko the jab is often less important. Vitaly used to thump down with his jab . On the back foot his jab is decent as he can turn it into a short hook as opponents come in but on the offensive he has a tendency to extend his arm out just to set up other shots. He doesn’t have huge punching power but if he gets you in the corner he can bludgeon you. His best punch is probably the overhand right which is bad news for Tyson Fury as he’s been knocked down by that punch a number of times. He has a good chin and stands up well to solid single shots but keeps his arms low and can get caught against opponents with a fast jab and combinations.
Best Possible Replacement
I must admit I was getting excited with the likes of Tony Thompson, Shannon Briggs and Antonio Tarver calling out Fury on twitter. After consideration Ustinov is probably a better opponent for a few reasons.
(1) He is only 37 which is not that old for heavyweights these days with the slow pace of fights where as Thompson and Briggs are 42 and Tarver 45.
(2) He is already in the UK as chief sparring partner to Dereck Chisora so he isn’t gong to have jet lag like the other 3 and he has a good degree of fitness after probably sparring about 20/30 rounds with Del Boy.
(3) He is 285lbs and just under 6″7 1/2 inches tall. The tallest fighter Fury has faced is Joey Abell at 6″4 in his last outing. Tyson will not be able to push him around like he has his previous opponents.
5 Notable Fights
Ustinov 12-0 (10) v Julius Long (15-9) W KO 1
I Picked this fight as Long stands at 7″1 and although nowhere near Fury’s class I think Ustinov suits fighting tall fighters as he can throw powerful overhand rights. Ustinov cut the ring well and pummelled Long on the ropes. When Long backed into the centre of the ring one straight right knocked him out cold.
Ustinov 15-0 (13) v Michael Sprott (31-13) W UD 10
Sprott has always been better than his record. He is small for a heavyweight but he caused Ustinov problems with his speed and jab. Ustinov did enough to win but was far for impressive with his best work coming when he could back Sprott into the ropes.
Ustinov 18-0 (15) v Monte Barrett (34-8) W UD 12
Similar to above. Barrett had been knocked out in back to back fights by David Haye and Odlandier Solis. This was quite an ugly fight with Ustinov mostly on top due to his strength.
Ustinov 27-0 (21) v Kubrat Pulev (16-0) L KO 11
His one defeat and also by stoppage. To me though Pulev is the second best heavyweight in he world. It was very reminiscant of a Wladimir Klitschko performance by the Bulgarian Pulev. Although much shorter than Ustinov he used his footwork to sidestep left and land quick jabs and occasionally straight rights. By round 11 Ustinov’s face was a mess and he couldn’t walk Pulev down. The knockout punch was a glancing left hook, not powerful but Ustinov sat down until 9 then made a feeble attempt to rise.
Again like Klitschko it was more how much he demoralised Ustinov with his skills than his power so I still think Ustinov has a good chin but just lacked heart as he felt he couldn’t win this one.
Ustinov 28-1 (21) v David Tua (52-4-2) W UD 12
Much more impressive performance. Despite the layoff Tua looked in good shape. He had plenty of head movement and threw big hooks. I think he could have beaten a few decent heavyweights that night but Ustinov was good. His jab was much better and he backed off well throwing good hooks and straight rights as Tua was jumping in. He took a few good hits also but was in control the entire night. He never looked like knocking the New Zealander out but Tua has an amazing chin and it was a sound tactical performance.
Conclusion
Ustinov seems to struggle mostly with smaller fighters with good hand-speed and a solid jab. He won’t have the size problem here and Fury will struggle with not being able to dominate him physically. Fury’s jab has improved in the last couple of years so it will be interesting who wins that battle. Ustinov’s key to victory will undoubtedly be the overhand right. I’m not making any predictions I’m just excited such a quality opponent has stepped in to show us if Fury is any good or not.
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