Tyson Fury has named who he believes to be the most talented heavyweight fighter on the planet.
‘The Gypsy King’ shocked the world when he announced his retirement from the sport at the beginning of the year, just weeks after he was beaten by Oleksandr Usyk for the second consecutive time. He closed the door on a two-time championship winning campaign with statement victories over the likes of Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder.
Fury fell short in his first encounter with Ukrainian icon Usyk last May, suffering the first defeat of his career and losing out on the opportunity to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.
After another extremely close 12-round battle in their rematch on December 21, Usyk was declared the winner once again, cementing himself as the best heavyweight of a generation having also beaten Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois.
Speaking on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Fury – who before Usyk moved up from cruiserweight was widely considered the most skillful heavyweight – overlooked his rival when naming the big man with the most talent, instead picking young Jared Anderson.
“I’d also like to see Jared Anderson back in the mix, the ‘young big baby’. Now, for me he’s the most talented heavyweight in the world by far, but coming off his last fight he had a knockout loss, so talent sometimes just doesn’t cut it if you’re rushed into fights that you’re not ready for.”
‘Big Baby’ Anderson’s rise as America’s next great heavyweight was halted when he was knocked out by Martin Bakole in the fifth round of their heavyweight showdown last August, in what was the first defeat of the American prospect’s career.
The 25-year-old from Ohio, who has sparred many round with Fury, bounced back from that defeat when he outpointed Marios Kollias in February, as he sets his sights on getting his promising career back on track and proving he is a force to be reckoned with in the heavyweight division.
