Tony Bellew has voiced his opinion on the current heavyweight scene and made his pick for best of the bunch.
The heavyweight landscape has changed significantly over recent years, with long time reining champions, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder, both losing their titles. Those belts now belong to unified champion, Oleksandr Usyk and WBC and Lineal champion, Tyson Fury.
Fans were expecting to see a true No 1 in the division crowned, as a matchup between Fury and Usyk looked like a formality last year. But this is boxing and the undisputed fight collapsed when the Ukrainian’s team finally pulled the plug due to rematch financials.
Most pundits have either Usyk or ‘The Gypsy King’ at the top of the pile, and Bellew is no different. Speaking on Simon Jordan’s podcast, the former cruiserweight world champion believes Fury is the best right now.
“Make no mistake, Tyson Fury is the best heavyweight in the world right now. I have no denying that.”
However, Bellew thinks the Brit’s new aggressive, counter punching style, leaves him more vulnerable to Usyk.
“I do now think he’s more susceptible to lose to Oleksandr Usyk.
It’s just because Tyson’s style has changed under SugarHill. The Tyson Fury that defeated Klitschko is an impossible guy to beat. He’s 6 foot 8, he’s 20 stones, he’s moving like a light heavyweight and he’s got really fast hands.
He’s pot shotting you, and he’s making you miss and causing you problems. His style went from a style of being awkward, slippery, big and quick, to now being an aggressive, front foot counter punching heavy hitter, that plays into someone like Usyk’s hands.”
The Liverpudlian may not have long to wait to see if his analysis is right, with momentum building for a proposed heavyweight tournament in Saudi Arabia which would see Fury take on Usyk and Joshua fight Wilder on the same night.