Zakhozhiy: "It Would Be More Convenient"

Ukrainian EBU European heavyweight champion Oleksandr Zakhozhiy (19-0, 15 KOs) commented on the upcoming fight for the absolute world heavyweight title between titleholder Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) and WBC champion Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs).

"We hope that Oleksandr wins. But honestly, I think it will be very tough this time because Fury has been training very actively. We can see he's in good shape now. He has lost weight. I think he'll try to outplay Usyk. I don’t think he will go for a knockout. I think he’ll try to outpace him. Who would I prefer to fight between Tyson and Usyk? Fury. It would be more convenient. It's very tricky to box with Oleksandr. I feel like I've sparred with him for about 300 rounds. Maybe 200. I can't say exactly, but I went through 3 full camps with him. His camps are two months long. That's really a lot. It's very hard to get used to him, to adapt. He's fast. He's a southpaw. He's awkward. He hits. He throws a lot of punches. He's just really good. Honestly, I would prefer to box with Fury," said Zakhozhiy.

The fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury is scheduled for May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. On April 13th, Oleksandr Zakhodzhiy knocked out German fighter Granit Shala (15-1, 5 KOs) and claimed the vacant EBU European championship belt.