Oleksandr Usyk’s recent visit to London wasn’t just to have a face off with Tyson Fury – it was for his team to take notes for an undisputed fight.
Usyk and his entourage watched from ringside as Fury dismantled Derek Chisora over ten rounds before the referee had seen enough. Whilst the champion dominated proceedings entirely, the keen eyes of the Ukrainians have spotted things they feel they can exploit.
Sergey Lapin, a member of Usyk’s training set up, told Vegas Insider that they were now more confident than ever of their chances in a Fury fight.
“We came to London to watch Fury and Derek Chisora. We watched Fury up close at ringside with great interest. Our team highlighted many interesting moments from this fight.”
“There are many subtleties that you won’t see on TV, for example, the work of the team, the connection between a boxer and his coach. Whether the boxer follows the instructions of the trainer or not. There are weaknesses.
“After seeing Fury in the flesh, our team is even more confident that Usyk will prevail and become undisputed and bring that WBC green belt home to Ukraine.”
Lapin seems to be referring to the relationship with Fury and SugarHill Steward, his trainer for his last four bouts. The link up has seen ‘The Gypsy King’ focus more on his power, and he’s ended all of their fights together by stoppage.
Lapin went on to claim that the current WBC Champion presents no more of a risk to his fighter than Anthony Joshua did. Usyk beat Joshua twice, once in 2021 and then again in August of 2022.
“The threat that Fury poses is no greater and no tougher than Anthony Joshua. We know how that ended for Anthony. We are very confident of beating Fury.”
The teams are said to currently be finalising details for a date and location for the undisputed fight, the winner of which will become the sole champion in the heavyweight division.