A heavyweight legend has predicted that Oleksandr Usyk ‘will beat’ Tyson Fury when the pair challenge each other for the undisputed crown.
The mouthwatering fight is one of the biggest that can be made in boxing. It has been a long time coming and even suffered a last-minute delay after Fury almost slipped up against Francis Ngannou. That pushed the fight back from December 23, which is now a huge card featuring plenty of heavyweight talent, to February 17 – and now all roads lead to Saudi Arabia for what will be a huge night.
The pair have already come face to face at the first press conference, with WBC and Lineal champion Fury pushing Usyk and the IBF, WBA and WBO ruler warning The Gypsy King not to touch him again. The mind games are what Fury excels at, while both men are high-level operators when it comes to what they do in the ring.
So too was Evander Holyfield during his decorated career. His boxing legacy looms large over this fight as The Real Deal is of course the only man to have ever held the undisputed titles in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions.
Speaking to iFL TV, Holyfield made his prediction for the fight and sided with Usyk who he thinks is the quicker, busier man.
“I think Usyk will win because for one thing he’s a tough fighter and he don’t give up. He quicker. I don’t think Tyson Fury will be able to compete with how many punches he’s going to throw.”
Holyfield was then asked how he would fair against today’s champions.
“I don’t think their era is better than ours cause we had more Olympians who came out and did really well. Our era was just a stronger era.”
It is fair to say that whoever wins this undisputed match-up will have a strong claim to being the very best of their era.