Former cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion, David Haye, has weighed up the chances of Oleksandr Usyk completing the same feat against Tyson Fury.
The two heavyweight champions are currently in negotiations for an undisputed fight that would see one champion in the division for the first time in two decades, and the boxing world is trying to predict who that will be.
Haye, who’s well-versed in what it takes to get in the ring with much bigger men, told ID Boxing that there are exceptions to the rule of a good big man beating a good little man.
“I’m not gonna get too excited just yet. I’ve got excited about fights that have been half-announced in the past. But I think you’ve got two exceptional fighters – an exceptional big man and an exceptional little man in heavyweight terms.
The big man normally beats the little man in boxing, but you get those exceptions like Holyfield and myself who can topple the giant, and that’s what Usyk’s going to need to do.”
Having said that, ‘The Hayemaker’ is edging towards Fury to leave the ring with all four belts – despite (incorrectly) picking against him in his fights with Deontay Wilder.
“Has he got the firepower to keep a big man off? I don’t know. He wasn’t able to stop Anthony Joshua who has been stopped before by Ruiz Jr.
“If his punch power was a little more, I’d edge towards him more. But the fact that he’s more of a boxer, and in a long range boxing match against someone who’s got longer arms than yourself, it’s a tough game to play.
Can that southpaw in and out style be enough to offset and buzz Tyson Fury? I don’t think so, looking in. But I’ve got it wrong most times going against Tyson Fury, so maybe by me going for him this time, the little guy will win.”
Promoter Frank Warren believes the fight will be announced imminently, meaning Usyk will finally have the chance to prove whether or not his size is the defining factor.