Hall-of-fame fighter turned trainer, Buddy McGirt, has had his say on the undisputed heavyweight clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
The UK versus Ukraine contest will crown a sole champion in the division for the first time since Lennox Lewis graced the ring, and, unlike many other big fights in the sport, it looks like it’s going to be made.
McGirt, who is currently training heavyweight contender and former Fury opponent, Dillian Whyte, is backing Fury. He told Pro Boxing Fans why.
“I gotta go with Fury, cause he knows how to use his size to his advantage. He used it in the Deontay Wilder fight. I just seen how he used it, and he used it very effectively, so I respect him for that.”
The prediction follows a similar pattern from many in the sport who believe that ‘The Gypsy King’ is simply too big for Usyk to trouble him. Fury towers above all comers and has the weight to back it up.
It’s a tough ask for Usyk, who not long ago was competing in the cruiserweight division. Having said that, he did dethrone the former unified champion, Anthony Joshua, and then beat him once more for good measure.
McGirt mentions the way the WBC Champion uses his size, and another example of that was against his own fighter in Whyte – although the pair weren’t partnered up at that stage.
Fury blasted the Brixton man out in the sixth with a perfectly timed uppercut. It had followed rounds of imposing his weight and not allowing Whyte to get in close despite his efforts.
Whether he can do the same to the undefeated and former undisputed champion, Usyk, is another matter entirely. Fans will likely find out in the first part of 2023, with March 4 apparently being the latest the fight will take place.