I sense nervousness in Tyson Fury. That’s a good thing. Maybe he has not been nervous enough lately. This might give him the edge he needs to beat arguably his toughest opponent yet in Oleksandr Usyk.
He is worried about this fight, no doubt. His performance against Francis Ngannou, coupled with the ease with which Anthony Joshua subsequently beat the same opponent, would have given him cause for concern.
Fury is right to be nervous. Styles make fights. Being a natural southpaw, Usyk’s in-and-out movement, stepping to the side with the speed of a cruiserweight, is very difficult to counter.
Joshua, who is a much more powerful combination puncher than Fury, was unable to beat Usyk in two attempts.
Yes, Daniel Dubois had Usyk over with what was deemed an illegal body shot. Some think Usyk vulnerable about the midsection. Everybody is if you catch them right.
But how is Fury going to change from a fighter inclined to fight at distance to a body snatcher whipping in rib ticklers? To hit the body, you have to make yourself small. That’s not easy for a bloke standing 6ft 9ins.
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Fury can’t turn into Ricky Hatton overnight. Rather, I expect him to try to maul Usyk, to beat him to the punch, frustrate him and try to land the cleaner punches, stealing it on points.
He might surprise us and decide to walk into him instead. After all, according to him, Usyk is just a little cruiser.
Can he do that successfully? I don’t think so. Fury tends to win from distance, only stepping on the gas when he hurts opponents. If he lands clean he will doubtless jump on Usyk.
But Usyk is so hard to hit. He has a radar that allows him to detect the punch in the nick of time and get out of the way.
Usyk wins by being aggressive. Both have to be aggressive. But Usyk will use his movement to try to take Fury’s jab away, because the jab triggers everything.
Usyk will not allow him to get that jab going, which is central to what Fury does. When a fighter’s jab is neutralised, it is so discombobulating. It changes the pattern of the fight.
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set to lock horns in a huge bout on May 18 with each fighter attempting to etch their name in boxing history as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999. The stakes couldn't be higher as the pair will go head to head for the prestigious WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF titles.
I don’t see a knockout for either. It will be fag paper close. I’m picking Usyk but I could be wrong. If Fury hurts Usyk early it could all be different.
But if you look at Usyk, he has worked out every opponent. He finds a way. He was hurt by Dubois but in the end he won in devastating style.
There is little Usyk has not seen in a ring. He has the amateur pedigree and a professional track record that features more high-class opponents than Fury’s.
I think that counts for something. And if you are inclined to watch on Sky, I shall be making my return with the broadcaster for this fight.
Follow Barry on Twitter at @ClonesCyclone @mcguigans_gym