Oleksandr Usyk does not have the power to hurt Tyson Fury, claims accomplished trainer, Kevin Barry.
The pair are set to announce a heavyweight undisputed fight that will crown the very best in the division, with Usyk holding the WBA, WBO and IBF belts to Fury’s WBC.
Whilst Fury has been a stalwart of the division for some time – other than a three year hiatus – Usyk is new to the ranks having been the undisputed cruiserweight champion just four fights ago.
It’s that difference in size, despite the Ukrainian proving himself against former unified champion Anthony Joshua, that many in the sport are pointing to as the deciding factor in their predictions.
Barry, who trained former heavyweight champion, Joseph Parker, is included in the camp. He praised Fury in an interview with SecondsOut.
“Tyson Fury is a very special fighter, a very uncommon fighter. A fighter that only comes along once in a generation.
We all look at his performances in the trilogy with Deontay Wilder – it was obvious after that that he is the number one fighter in the heavyweight division.
He does possess the skills, the movement, the reflexes, the boxing IQ that a real champion needs. I see Tyson with his size, his stature, his height, his reach making this fight very difficult for Oleksandr Usyk.
Whilst the trainer did have praise for Usyk, he can’t see past Fury’s skill and punch resistance.
“We all know how skilful Usyk is. We all saw the boxing display he put on against Anthony Joshua, but we all saw the adjustments Joshua made in the second fight and I think Fury will be looking at some of those things.
I know that Tyson Fury is not going to stand there and allow Usyk to dictate the terms of the fight like Anthony Joshua did. I think we’ll see Tyson being far more aggressive. Taking the fight to him, exhausting the little man.
I don’t personally believe that Usyk has the power to hurt Tyson Fury. We know the resilience of Tyson Fury – we’ve seen him on the canvas in the three Wilder fights.”
Fury has been put down in his career, most notably so against Deontay Wilder as Barry mentioned. However, it’s not his ability to stay standing that’s so impressive, rather his recovery.
Much of the boxing world believes it’s an uphill battle for Usyk, however all that will matter to the Ukrainian is his own belief. The fight, still in negotiations, is expected to be announced soon should all go to plan.