Many feel that Oleksandr Usyk’s undisputed fight with Tyson Fury will swing towards the fighter with the better game plan.
Formerly the four-belt cruiserweight champion, Usyk will be presented with his biggest challenge in the heavyweight division, both physically and in terms of skill
Fury, who has admitted to struggling with smaller men in the past, faces likely the most technically gifted opponent of his career.
As such, the preparations for this one are set to play a huge part come fight night, even more so than usual.
Whilst top-level heavyweights that can emulate the unique style of Fury may be sparse, Usyk can look to the amateurs and a pool of rising pros to help him in camp. His team are doing just that, with an open call for fighters to put themselves forward.
A Team Usyk insider told SunSport that, through the Ready To Fight app, the Ukrainian has received over 50 applications that fit the bill.
“While Tyson Fury is enjoying his break in Saudi Arabia, which we saw The Sun write about, we are working hard on fight preparation. We already have over 50 candidates for sparring who responded to our call and met the criteria. Three of them are signed up as the sparring partners for Oleksandr.”
“They are from all over the world, they have different experience levels and we believe that such sparring could not only help Oleksandr prepare for the bout.
You will easily recognise what our sparring partners have in common – physical characteristics similar to Fury’s. They’re really big guys! And the call for sparring partners for Usyk is still open. So the list isn’t completed yet, it will only get bigger and bigger.”
The Sun reports that amongst the candidates already selected is a 6ft 10in 20 stone fighter as well as a 18 stone southpaw.
Fury’s team have previously reached out to Jai Opetaia, the undefeated cruiserweight southpaw sensation who will fight against Lyndon Arthur on December 23.