Never one to sit on the fence, former three-time world champion Carl Froch believes Oleksandr Usyk would struggle against WBA Super, WBO and IBF title-holder Anthony Joshua.
After cleaning out the cruiserweight division, WBO No.1 contender Usyk scored his most significant win at heavyweight with a 12-round decision over a determined Dereck Chisora at the SSE Arena at the weekend as he bids for a clash with Joshua.
Joshua faces his IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev on December 12 before a proposed two-bout series with WBC king Tyson Fury in 2021, but Usyk’s team plan to lobby for their shot before those mega fights can take place.
Yet Froch didn’t feel he saw enough on Saturday to suggest that Usyk (18-0, 13 KOs) can unseat Joshua should they meet in the near future.
“The pace and pressure from Joshua, and the combination punches. I think Usyk would struggle,” Froch told Sky Sports.
“An even bigger, heavier, more solid, fresher heavyweight [than Chisora] like AJ lands more effective shots on the target.
“I don’t know if that [fight with Chisora] answered the questions for me. I’m not putting [Usyk] up there with the top three heavyweights in the world.”