Earlier this week, Fury said at a press conference promoting the fight that defeating undefeated former cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk from Ukraine would put him in a position to become the best heavyweight of his era.
This was the main discussion point on Friday’s “Deep Waters” episode of Probox TV
“A focused Tyson Fury could be one of the most dangerous heavyweights of all time. But how often do we see a focused Tyson Fury?” said the former welterweight champion. Paulie Malignaggi asked. “Will we see a more focused Tyson Fury in his fight with Oleksandr Usyk?”
Reports outside camp suggest that the 35-year-old Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) is in incredible shape, but Deep Waters analyst and former 140-pound champion Chris Algieri said his commitments have changed and he needs to be in the ring. The great Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs).
Does a win for Fury make him the best heavyweight of this era?
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“Anything that Tyson Fury isn’t 100 percent focused on, he loses to Oleksandr Usyk,” Algieri said. “Usyk is basically the DJ Khaled of boxing,” he said. “All I do is win, win, win.”
And with two wins over former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, Usyk is in a better position to assert the generational greatness that Fury is seeking.
“Usyk has the potential to be the best cruiserweight since (Evander) Holyfield…that’s why we’re here,” Malignaggi said. “This battle is one for supremacy between generations.”
Fury has yet to fight Joshua, and last month Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) defeated Fury by knockout of Ngannou. He fought Otto Wallin in December, and although he suffered a seizure during the match, he was eliminated in the second round before being strengthened in the second round.
“His recent performances have been sharp and destructive,” Algieri said. “If Usyk [18. .” He’s like the old Joshua and I rate him against literally just about anyone in the world. I could see him defeating Tyson Fury. ”
Fury’s win over Usyk “leads to a mega-mega showdown [between the Brits], and if the winner is Fury, he is without a doubt the greatest heavyweight of our generation.”
This is a significant continuous workload.
Usyk, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, is “versatile”, says Malignaggi, but the question is how well his talented feet can stand up to Fury’s menacing physique at 37 years old. So it’s effectively a 50/50 battle.
“Usyk is a tactician, a strategist who creates beautiful angles and uses skills that are fundamental to southpaws. And Fury says Team Usyk is susceptible to some of the tricks that southpaws do.” Algieri said.
For example, look at the cut that Wallin caused on Fury. It took him 47 stitches to close. “[Usyk] stays on the outside of the forward line and keeps a low profile by fighting from the weak side. He always wins the battle for position,” Algieri continued. “But he has to sit in Ps and Qs all night. Twelve rounds is a very long time for a man who has a functional weight advantage of 55 to 60 pounds.” Tyson Fury is a huge He is human and knows how to take advantage of his size. He’s a big, athletic, skilled guy who moves well, has a good jab, and knows how to use his inner “dirty” boxing. he will lean on you
This physicality is an important issue to focus on.
“Can Usyk use his legs in enough rounds to get around Tyson Fury’s size advantage?” Algieri said. “[The Fury] has a great gas tank and is very fluid.”
but … .
“Usyk will never lose. There is no plan to beat him,” Algieri said. By solving this highly complex puzzle and defeating his compatriot Joshua, Fury will be able to say whatever he wants about his place in the heavyweight world and the sport itself.
