STAR BOXING PREVIEW: Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk

Not since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999 has boxing crowned an undisputed champion but that all changes this weekend as Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk finally meet in Saudi Arabia…

This is a historic moment for the sport and whoever walks away victorious will go down as one of the greatest boxers in history, writes JORDAN NEILD.

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The Background 💭

Tyson Fury is not only a boxer, he is also one of the biggest celebrities in the world and his recent hit Netflix documentary has only enhanced his celebrity status. The current WBC heavyweight champion draws a crowd wherever he goes and his status outside of the sport is the reason the powers that be in Saudi Arabia have chosen him to spearhead their entrance into boxing.

He may mix in the celebrity world but Fury remains a fighting man at heart. Nicknamed ‘The Gypsy King’ the 35-year-old grew up fighting and as he admits himself, it’s all he has ever known. He didn’t have the amateur pedigree of his opponent this weekend but his achievements across the last decade have cemented him as a modern day great.

Making his debut in 2008, Fury has spent the last 16 years travelling the world collecting belts. After a whole host of domestic titles, his crowning moment came in 2015 when he travelled to Germany to dethrone Wladimir Klitschko. Prior to facing Fury, Klitschko was undefeated in eleven years and although he started as a huge favourite, he was outclassed by Fury on the night.

Fury was a huge underdog in Germany and the manner of his win placed him at the top of the boxing world and unfortunately, the pressure of being heavyweight champion was too much for him to handle. Dark times followed and after struggling with addiction and mental health issues, he would disappear from the sport for three years.

During his time away from the sport, Fury gained a significant amount of weight and the prospect of him returning to competition looked highly unlikely and in truth, the heavyweight division had moved. American Deontay Wilder claimed the throne at the top of the division and in 2018, he had knocked out 39 of his 40 opponents.

When ‘The Gypsy King’ announced his comeback and his ambition to be the first man to beat Deontay Wilder, the boxing world mocked him. However, in typical Fury fashion, he used this as the motivation and within eleven months of announcing his comeback, he was standing across the ring from Wilder in Los Angeles and went on to dominate one of the greatest rivalries the sport has ever seen.

In the first fight, Fury boxed impeccably and although he was dropped three times, he fought to a split decision draw and in the two fights that followed, Fury became not only the first man to beat Deontay Wilder but he knocked him out in both fights and reclaimed the throne in boxing’s premium division.

The Gypsy King reclaimed his throne against all odds.

Oleksandr Usyk is a boxing phenomenon and has enjoyed incredible success in both the amateur and professional game. In the unpaid code, he was flawless and crowned off a glittering career by winning gold at the 2012 Olympic Games. Just over a year later, he entered professional ranks and within 21 fights, he became a two-weight unified champion.

Unlike Fury, the Ukrainian has no interest in being a celebrity but his achievements stack up against any superstar this sport has ever seen. At cruiserweight, he won all four belts in an eighteen-month period and even more impressively, he travelled to the home country of all the other champions to win the belts.

An inevitable move to heavyweight soon followed but people doubted if he was big enough to compete with the likes of Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder & Tyson Fury. At 6’2, Usyk is not a small man but the heavyweight scene is dominated by giants in the modern era but within a couple of fights, Usyk eliminated all doubt about his ability to compete with the giants.

Two low key fights against Chazz Witherspoon and Derek Chisora allowed the Ukrainian superstar to find his feet in his new division but it was his destruction of Anthony Joshua that really put the boxing world on notice. Despite giving away every physical advantage, Usyk dominated Joshua over two consecutive fights and claimed the IBF, WBO and WBA titles in the process.

Immediately after claiming the belts, Usyk was calling for this fight with Fury and although he found time for a routine victory over Daniel Dubois in August last year, his focus has been solely on the man they call ‘The Gypsy King’ and on Saturday night, he gets his chance to prove he is the greatest heavyweight of this generation.

The Fight 👊

Tyson Fury will start as the slight favourite (19/20) but with Oleksandr Usyk priced at (21/20) and fans are split down the middle. Both men don’t know what it feels likes to lose in a professional ring but it’s Fury holds all the physical advantages and that is the reason he will start as favourite.

The Englishman has dazzlingly quick hands, tremendous feet, and reaction speed that a middleweight would be envious of but there have been signs in recent fights that he is becoming easier to hit and that spells danger heading into this weekend.

His last fight was against MMA star (and boxing debutant) Francis Ngannou and although the fight was a circus, Fury could only manage a split decision victory and he was dropped heavily in the third round.

‘The Gypsy King’ clearly underperformed against Ngannou but was that a case of him taking his eye off the ball or is 35-fight professional career beginning to catch up with him?

It was shocking to see Fury dropped by a boxing novice but it’s not the first time we have seen him hit the canvas. He was dropped multiple times in his early career by the likes of Steve Cunningham and Neven Pajkic and he hit the canvas four times across his three fights with Deontay Wilder.

It would be incredibly harsh to say Fury has a bad chin but he can be hit and hurt and against a sharpshooter like Usyk, the (9/4) for Tyson Fury to be dropped in our specials market is a bet worth consideration.

A lot has been made about Usyk not being a natural heavyweight and for the most part, it’s true. He is not as big as the modern-day heavyweights but his boxing career has defied all logic and he is a man that simply doesn’t care for the opinion of others.

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In all likelihood, this fight will be a boxing contest rather than the heavyweight brawl most fans are hoping for. In the early rounds, it will be a battle of who can establish their jab and who can win the battle of the feet. Whoever gets the best of the early exchanges will be able to gather momentum and at this level, momentum is the ultimate advantage.

Fury has very rarely struggled to win fights when they have been descended into pure boxing contests but he has never faced anyone as skilled as Usyk. The Englishman enters this in precarious and if any seeds of doubt have been planted, Usyk will sense it and he has the boxing ability to make Fury play second fiddle all night long.

He may give every physical advantage away on Saturday night but the Ukrainian is the purest boxer in the sport and he has found an answer for all 21 of his previous opponents and while this is the ultimate test, it would take a brave man to bet against Oleksandr Usyk.

The bet here is Oleksandr Usyk to win (21/20 with starsports.bet) and become the first undisputed heavyweight champion this century.

One further bet to keep an eye on is Oleksandr Usyk to win by technical decision (100/1 with starsports.bet) which is part of our specials market.

Fury has suffered horrendous cuts in recent fights, especially over his eyes and this fight was delayed from its original date because Fury suffered a cut in training that ruled him out.

In heavyweight boxing, it only takes one small accidental clash to draw blood and if Fury opens any of his previous cuts, it could get ugly very quickly based on recent evidence.

It would take an accident to force this outcome but the evidence is there from recent fights and it would be no surprise if the ringside doctor was needed this weekend.

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