By Jim Calfa: Oleksandr Usyk says he’s going to beat Tyson Fury’s backside when the two meet for the undisputed heavyweight championship later this year.
If Usyk fights Fury the way he did Anthony Joshua last Saturday, he’s got an excellent chance of beating him. Usyk’s mobility & ring IQ will play a big factor against the big 6’9″ Fury, as he’s never fought anyone as skilled as him.
WBC champion Fury came out on social media last Saturday night, saying that he’s ready to fight Usyk or Joshua next.
As long as Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) doesn’t price himself out of the fight, we should be looking at him and Usyk mixing it up with all four belts on the line.
IBF, WBA & WBO champion Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) passed his last formidable hurdle in defeating Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) by a 12-round split decision last Saturday night in their rematch.
“This is what I’m dreaming of every day. I’m going to beat his a**,” said Usyk at the post-fight press conference about fighting Tyson Fury.
Obviously, this isn’t the guy that Fury wanted to fight. He was hoping that Joshua would win so that he could battle him in a big-money fight in the UK.
“He boxed a great fight, but it was just the brilliance of Usyk in the tenth round, eleventh round, and twelfth round that won him the fight,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV.
“I couldn’t believe he [Usyk] came back in the fight after the ninth, but it shows you what an incredible fighter he is. A few people had Joshua up. I felt he lost by two rounds, but when it’s 115-113, it’s a swing of one or two rounds, and you can see it the other way.
“I had AJ level or up by the end of the ninth, but then, I had Usyk winning the last three rounds. I thought he was incredible. I thought the tenth round was one of the great performances.
“In the ninth, Usyk was all over the place; he was hurt badly. He went back to his corner. I ran over because I saw Usyk go back to his corner. He looked like he could be done, but what Usyk did in the tenth round was unbelievable, and that’s why he’s pound-for-pound #1,” said Hearn.
