With his accolades at cruiserweight and now heavyweight, Oleksandr Usyk is one of the most accomplished fighters currently competing.
If negotiations for a fight with Tyson Fury play out as they should, the Ukrainian will be looking at an opportunity to become a two-weight undisputed champion in the space of 21 professional contests.
One man who has constantly talked up his skills is Malik Scott – retired heavyweight and now trainer of former champion, Deontay Wilder.
Scott has sparred Usyk in the past, and was recently asked by Pro Boxing Fans what impressed him about ‘The Cat’ during those sessions.
“Everything. Usyk is a complete fighter. Southpaw. Good balance. Knows how to control the distance. He’s great.”
A four-belt clash with Fury will be yet another legacy-defining night for Usyk, and he’s made it clear that it’s top of his list by some way.
Despite the high praise for the Ukrainian champion, Scott believes the fight with Fury is a pick ’em.
“It’s a 50/50 fight. Usyk is a smaller guy but he has good feet … When it’s time for Fury to tie him up he’ll be able to use his feet, and he always finds a way to win. But Tyson has shown [repetitively] over time that, when he’s the bigger man, he knows how to wear a guy down. So we’ll see.”
It follows many predictions for the bout, with plenty of fighters and pundits believing Fury’s sheer size and strength may be the difference.
Usyk remains confident, though, and all that’s left is an official announcement before fans can really get excited. Fury’s US promoter, Bob Arum, recently said that they were expecting an offer from Saudi Arabia this week, and if that didn’t come through then they would look at returning to Wembley Stadium.