Oleksandr Usyk has put on major mass, giving fans a hint into his tactics.
Usyk is chasing history by becoming the third man to become undisputed in two weight classes during the four-belt era. Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue are the other men who have achieved that feat. For Usyk to do this, he must give Tyson Fury his first defeat. The Gypsy King came closest to losing against Deontay Wilder in their first fight. Wilder landed a massive right hand to send Fury to the canvas.
The American got up from the canvas after almost being counted out to win the round. That shows the task that Usyk faces to get his win. There have been question marks over how both fighters will enter this fight. Usyk is known for being light on his feet and having an excellent gas tank. That plays out in the narrative that he will try to outbox the WBC champion.
But the Ukrainian’s photo above show otherwise. In the image, Usyk can be seen looking a lot heavier. That may suggest that he will sit down on his shots, anticipating a heavier Fury who may seek to lean on him. Those tactics allowed Fury to dominate Wilder in their second and third fights before he got the stoppage. While Usyk may be adopting his game, Frank Warren and Lennox Lewis warned the Ukrainian to expect a tough fight.
“I know mentally, which is the most important thing, he’s really up for this fight. Usyk, he’s beaten every Brit he’s been in with. He beat Tony Bellew, he stopped him, knocked him over. He beat AJ twice. So, he’s used to getting in there with big guys. AJ was a much bigger guy, but I just think Tyson is a totally different type of boxer. He can adapt and he is a really, extremely good ring craftsman. I see him stopping Usyk, that’s how I see it working out. One thing about Usyk is he doesn’t like shots to the body. That’s a fact,” Lewis said
“Well, I would [target the cut]. Of course he will [try to do that]. He had a worse cut against [Otto] Wallin. Tyson had a dreadful cut in that fight and won the fight convincingly with a bad cut, a real bad cut. He’s got plan A, plan B and a plan C and more important, he’s got a big heart,” Warren stated
Usyk putting on weight may have an impact on his speed. However, he could get Fury in trouble if he manages to put more power behind his shots. The Gypsy King suffered a big cut over his right eye in sparring, preventing the Usyk fight from going ahead on February 17. The cut is expected to take at least three months before it is patched up. Fury has taken a risk since there is a chance that the cut reopens. Usyk will no doubt look to target that eye. Having more power behind his punches will harm Fury. But the question is, can Usyk land them and pull off the win?
More must-reads: