Fury can't compare to Ali or Lewis - Bellew
- Published
If Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk were the same size, this wouldn't even be a contest. There is no way in the world Fury would win a round, let alone the fight.
Fury’s physical attributes are what makes it intriguing and close.
He is fighting a guy who is six inches smaller. On paper, it's not fair. A huge monster facing a little guy. There are weight divisions for a reason.
But Usyk has made the successful jump to heavyweight because he really is that good. He is the purest and best boxer Fury will ever face in his life.
The guy is on another platform. There are boxers and then there is Usyk. I speak from knowledge and, unfortunately, experience.
I must give Fury credit, though - he looks in unbelievable shape. He has definitely taken this seriously. This is not the Francis Ngannou fight happening again. This is a Fury who is 100% focused and 100% dedicated.
I still don't think it will be enough, though. For the first time in his career, Fury is facing a guy who is naturally a better boxer and technically more awkward.
Footwork of Usyk will bamboozle Fury
I don't think Fury can knock Usyk out with one punch, but he is strong enough to hurt him - just because of his sheer weight and size.
He needs to be big, awkward and use his size to his advantage. By the way, they say Fury is 6ft 9in, but I have pictures of me stood next to him. He’s about 6ft 7in, at a push.
But a man of that size who constantly goes on the back foot could a nightmare for someone like Usyk.
I chose to go on the back foot when I fought Usyk in my final fight. He thought I was going to look for the knockout, and I regret that I didn't.
I was ahead on two scorecards going into the eighth round. I should have just gone for it because I could not outbox him for 12 rounds. I was absolutely exhausted. I couldn’t breathe because I was that tired.
Fury is going to have to put his foot down, but I'm just not sure that he can avoid what Usyk will do to him when that happens.
I can see Fury getting caught consistently on the way in and the angles and the footwork of Usyk will bamboozle him at times.
Usyk’s judgement of distance is just unreal. It's like he has a laser on the end of his feet and toes, and when you step within that laser, he's gone; he's away.
I can't put into words how difficult an opponent he is. Just like Floyd Mayweather, where you know what he is going to do – slip, shoulder roll, counter-punch on the inside – you still don’t know how to stop it.
Fury can't compare to prime Lewis
Fury is undefeated but there is a case for picking the right opponents at the right time.
If he does beat Usyk, he is the best of his era but not the best in British history - there is no way he is better than Lennox Lewis.
Lewis had everything: tactical brain, knockout punch, every shot in the armoury. He was the ultimate pugilist, a proper athlete in the heavyweight division. There is no chance Fury would have beaten Lewis.
Promoters Bob Arum and Frank Warren have compared Fury to Muhammad Ali. They’re just doing their jobs but, please, stop it.
Ali is the greatest heavyweight of all time. He was a man who fought against a whole country for what he believed in and his people.
The man is the greatest sportsman of any generation and, in my opinion, the greatest human being ever.
Usyk can become a great - if we have competent judges
If Usyk wins in Riyadh he may just be the greatest fighting specimen the world has ever seen.
He has gone to every champion's backyard and won belts. He has won Olympic, European and world gold. He has dominated the amateurs and the pros.
I will be watching along with fans at an event in London and I truly hope the best Fury turns up. It would be amazing for British boxing if he wins.
But I am not going to sit here and lie – I have to be true to myself. As an analyst and a pundit, I have to say it the way I see it.
I even predicted one of my close friends, Jordan Gill, to lose the other week. His dad didn’t even want to look at me.
In my heart of hearts, I think Usyk wins by unanimous decision, as long as we have competent judging.
We need neutral judges – the best in the world with no agendas. Do not tarnish our sport on the biggest platform.
We need a fair shake because this is the biggest fight in heavyweight history.
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