Tony Bellew knows exactly what it’s like to face Oleksandr Usyk in the ring.
Bellew challenged the Ukrainian back in 2018 for all the four major cruiserweight titles. Although ‘The Bomber’ made a good start to the contest, he started to tire and got conclusively stopped in round eight.
Usyk then moved up to heavyweight and beat the likes of Anthony Joshua (twice), Daniel Dubois and most recently Tyson Fury to become only the second man to be undisputed at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, with Evander Holyfield being the other.
Bellew is never shy in praising his former foe, and told iFL TV that Usyk will go down as one of the best big men ever.
“Oleksandr Usyk. What a guy, what a man. The greatest cruiserweight, and let me tell you he’ll go down as one of the greatest heavyweights as well.”
However, when asked by Instant Casino who would win between Usyk and a prime Mike Tyson, Bellew went with the man once dubbed ‘The Baddest’ on the planet.
“Mike Tyson”
Tyson still holds the record as the youngest ever heavyweight champion. Fearless and fearsome, the knockout artist had 79% stoppage-to-win ratio. He would enter the ring against the Ukrainian the smaller man, as with most of his contests.
Usyk isn’t finished at heavyweight just yet and he’ll be looking to rubber stamp his legacy when he rematches Fury later this year. Bellew believes it will be repeat but isn’t totally ruling out ‘The Gypsy King’ getting revenge.
“I do still believe that [Usyk will win] but it doesn’t mean [Fury] can’t.
We all seen him hurt Usyk. That’s the first time I’ve seen Usyk hurt to the chin. I’ve seen him momentarily dazed but that’s the first time I’ve seen him genuinely shook to his boots, but then what does he do the next round? He comes back and puts it on you, because that’s the fighter he is.
But can Tyson Fury win? Absolutely. That big, that heavy, that good, which he is good, Tyson Fury is an elite-level fighter but he’s coming up against a fighter he can’t really figure out. And a style he’s always going to struggle with, and that wasn’t the best version of Usyk.
The best version of Usyk will go on the back foot, this guy walked forward all night with his hands up. If this guy gets on the back foot, you ain’t landing a glove on him but he chose to walk you down and bully you.”
Usyk-Fury 2 takes place on December 21 in Saudi Arabia, just over a month after Tyson makes his controversial return to the ring against Jake Paul.
