I dropped Tyson Fury and was his hardest fight, here’s why Oleksandr Usyk will BEAT him
OLEKSANDR USYK has been backed to BEAT Tyson Fury by the man who so nearly did it himself.
The unbeaten champions will square off in the heavyweight division’s first ever four-belt unification bout on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
But Usyk will not be the first ex-cruiserweight champion Fury has shared the ring with.
In 2013 in New York, in his American debut, the Gypsy King took on then-heavyweight newbie Steve Cunningham.
Cunningham famously floored Fury and drew up an early lead before being worn down and taken out in round seven.
Now the American is tipping Usyk to do what he couldn’t and become the first to defeat Fury.
Cunningham, 47, told iFL TV: “I think Usyk can beat Fury for two specific reasons. The first is Usyk’s ability, his skill-set, it’s unmatched,
“He’s got quirky movements; he’s awkward. He thinks different in there, he takes angles.
“He’s the highest level of boxing that we see right now. He can land shots on Fury that can cause considerable frustration for Fury.
“The second reason is his team, his management. He’s managed by Egis [Klimas]. They’re powerhouses in Europe and around the world.
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“Egis has a solid foundational career with moving fighters and protecting them.”
Fury has admitted in the past how Cunningham was the trickiest customer has came across in his career.
He told Joe Rogan in 2018: “Believe it or not, this is gonna sound strange – Cunningham was the hardest fight I ever did have in my whole career, amateur or professional.”
Fury used his superior size to gain an advantage on the smaller Cunningham, something Usyk will be aware of.
Cunningham added: “With Fury, we all know he uses some tactics that are borderline.
“I wouldn’t say illegal. He hasn’t been disqualified yet, but they’re borderline, and they gain him an advantage.
“Him being 6’9”, 260 lbs. All he does is take a couple of hits, block them, and lean on the guy throughout the fight
“He did it to me, he did it to Wilder. He did it to fighters that you want to wear down.
“Later on, your looking fresh because they’re drained because they’ve been carrying your 260-lb body around. So, you can do whatever you want to them
“I don’t think Egis and the team are going to allow that without Fury being penalised.
“If Fury can get past the management part, controlling the officiating, with the referee being in his ear, Fury can beat him if he can get past all of that.
“But outside of that, I lean a little bit towards Usyk.”