Amir Khan has no doubt in his mind on which heavyweight will become undisputed next year should the fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk be made.
As negotiations progress, discussion turns to predictions for the fight. Fury will enter the ring the bigger man by some stretch, and, even despite Usyk’s stellar record in the sport, many feel this will be the deciding factor.
Former unified world champion, Khan, is in this camp. When asked by IFL TV if the Brit beats the Ukrainian, he was positive.
“100%. I mean, he’s the bigger, stronger guy. He’ll beat any heavyweight out there.”
“The guy is the number one. There’s no one touching him. Like I said, everyone else goes on a different page. Tyson Fury is the man when it comes to boxing.
“I just think that he’s a different fighter. He’s just special. When you look at him, he might not look the best in shape, but for some reason he just has the power, the strength, the movement – has everything, man.”
It doesn’t seem to be a case of Khan supporting his countryman, rather just praise because he genuinely believes no heavyweight in the division can come close to beating Fury.
‘The Gypsy King’ is undefeated in 33 contests and has ended 24 of those inside the distance – including his last four.
Deontay Wilder came the closest in recent times by putting Fury down twice in their third fight together, but the champion displayed incredible recovery that powered him to victory.
Usyk – who holds all other belts in the division bar the WBC – will likely enter the ring not searching for a stoppage. The slick former cruiserweight king will look to use his movement and supreme shot selection to pick away at Fury.
Some in the sport, including Khan, give him no chance of getting the job done.
The undefeated and undisputed bout is reportedly nearing announcement, with late February or early March in the Middle East targeted.