For many Brits the matter is clear: Tyson Fury beats Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia on February 17th and becomes the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis (appropriately also British). But an Englishman steps out of line – which doesn’t suit Fury at all.
George Groves is certain: Fury will suffer the first defeat of his professional career against the 1.90 meter tall fist fencer Usyk at the “Undisputed” showdown in Riyadh.
“I think Usyk wins, he’s in better shape,” said the former super middleweight world champion at grosvenorcasinos.com. He is aware of the criticism of Usyk by some observers for his fight against Daniel Dubois (The Ukrainian went down after a low blow before winning by knockout in round nine, editor’s note)“but I thought he was very, very good. Usyk had everything under control and stopped him.”
WBA/WBO/IBF champion Usyk will take Fury “out of his comfort zone,” predicted Groves. “Fury is a huge unit and carries a lot of weight. If Usyk makes him work harder than he’s used to, it’s going to be a tough night for him. Usyk builds a fight and cranks it up every round.”
Because the Ukrainian is in better shape than the 2.06-meter giant, he is betting “against Fury’s natural size,” said Groves. Usyk will win the duel “quite comfortably”.
Boxing: Fury is not looking at his cards before the Usyk fight
Because of his prognosis, Fury even “dragged him backstage” during a joint performance, Groves reported. “He said, ‘Hey, why are you betting on Usyk to win?’ And I said, ‘Tyson, someone has to bet on him.'”
WBC world champion Fury has been preparing for the fight against Usyk in Saudi Arabia since the end of December. So far no information and almost no pictures have been leaked from the camp. Observers see this seclusion as a clear indication that Fury is preparing as best as he can.
In his last fight against ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou in the fall, the Englishman appeared shockingly weak and only narrowly avoided embarrassment in the duel with the boxing novice.
Usyk has set up his training camp south of Valencia for the battle promoted by the Saudis as the “Ring of Fire”.