British boxing legend Ricky Hatton has laid out his prediction for the upcoming undisputed heavyweight title showdown between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, which will crown a first four-belt champion in the history of the division.
The wait was almost over for Fury and Usyk’s historic battle in Saudi Arabia, but a cut suffered by the ‘Gypsy King’ meant the fight had to be postponed from this weekend until May 18.
Despite the delay, in an interview with InstantCasino.com, Hatton confidently predicted a victory for his countryman, but admitted that Usyk’s smaller size could actually work out in his favour, rather than it being his downfall as many fighters and pundits are suggesting.
“I think that Tyson will come through against Usyk. When you look at the speed and boxing ability of Usyk, Tyson has that too, but he’s bigger, stronger, he’s got the reach and size. The only thing that might work in Usyk’s favour is his size.
“Tyson’s faced big lumps, big heavyweights like [Deontay] Wilder, [Dillian] Whyte and [Francis] Ngannou, whereas Usyk is smaller and it’s not a style Fury’s had to deal with for a number of years now, so he will cause Tyson problems.
“But Tyson’s shown he has heart, he can body punch – which has been a vulnerable spot for Usyk – and he can go southpaw, he’s got great defence, he can go to war with you and he’s much bigger. I think he’ll pull it out down the home straight.”
Usyk will attempt to dethrone ‘The Gypsy King’ in May, but one of the Ukrainian’s former coaches believes the fight may still not go ahead.