Warren: «Usyk is Used to Fighting Heavyweights»

Promoter and Head of Queensberry Promotions Frank Warren shared his expectations for the bout between WBC heavyweight champion (over 90.7 kg) Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) and WBA, WBO, IBF, and IBO titleholder Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs).

«Usyk has achieved everything he could. He was an Olympic gold medalist, the best in the cruiserweight division, undefeated, and he unified all the belts. He’s been a heavyweight for four years, so he’s used to fighting heavyweights.

He fought Joshua twice. AJ has a longer reach, more height. But Usyk outboxed him. He didn’t do what a smaller guy would typically do – slip in, get under his jab, and work on the inside. He beat him from the outside with his jab. So he won’t worry about that. But with Tyson, the difference is he’ll stand and trade with you.

If he takes a punch, a jab, he won’t step back, he’ll do it with you. And I think that’s the difference between Joshua and Tyson. Tyson will stick to his game plan, and I think he’ll use his advantages, like his reach. The game plan will be to push Usyk back – take the center of the ring, put him on the back foot, and break him down. I truly believe he’ll do that.

Speed matters to me. It’s all about speed, not size. The unique thing about Tyson is that for a guy who doesn’t look like he’s carved out of marble, he’s quite athletic. He’s very quick in the ring, has great footwork, and fast hands. I genuinely think we’ll see something special in the fight between these two guys on Saturday night,» said Warren.

The bout for the undisputed world heavyweight championship between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will take place on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.