Tyson Fury, the reigning WBC heavyweight champion, has cast doubt on Oleksandr Usyk’s ability to compete in their upcoming undisputed title bout, saying the Ukrainian is too small.
Scheduled for May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the clash sees Fury, 35, defending his WBC title against Usyk, 36, who holds the WBA, WBO, and IBF belts.
Fury told media he was skeptical about Usyk’s transition from cruiserweight as size was one of the most important factors in heavyweight boxing. ‘You can beat the average big ones but you can’t beat the elite big ones,’ Fury said.
Usyk, a former undisputed champion at cruiserweight, rose to prominence by defeating Anthony Joshua to claim the unified heavyweight championship in 2021. However, Fury believes that Usyk’s previous opponents lacked the caliber to test his abilities adequately.
Drawing parallels with past cruiserweight champions who struggled in the heavyweight division, Fury was confidenct he would prevail over Usyk. ‘If Tyson Fury can’t beat Usyk, Tyson’s no good. End of,’ he quipped.
Fury’s co-promoter, Frank Warren, touted the bout as the ‘biggest of the 21st Century.’
