Oleksandr Usyk appears to have put on some serious mass ahead of his fight with Tyson Fury on May 18.
The two men fight for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship, with the winner becoming the best heavyweight of their era. They enter the fight with contrasting styles. Fury is the much taller man, standing at six-foot-nine. He has a high boxing IQ, but since teaming up with SugarHill Steward, the focus has been on stopping his opponent and fighting on the front foot.
Usyk is a slick southpaw with an equally high boxing IQ, and he is known for his immaculate footwork. Going into the fight, there have been various narratives over how the fight will play out. Those favoring Fury expects the Gypsy King to use his size and power to overwhelm Usyk.
Fury did a similar thing when he faced Deontay Wilder by using his body weight against the smaller man, eventually stopping him in back-to-back fights. Usyk may be anticipating that, which is why he appears bigger than usual. The following footage shows Usyk hitting a moving speed bag. He is more muscular than usual, aiming to combat any power difference.
Usyk’s Physique
Fury, however, may come in lighter than usual. He has to get the balance right between boxing and exchanging on the inside. He suffered a cut over his right eye in sparring, which resulted in their February 17 fight being called off. The cut is usually expected to take around three months to heal, pushing that timeline into June. There are worries that Usyk could target that eye, increasing the possibility of that cut reopening.
“Tyson has a reputation for being a rowdy guy. He spars oft times without any head gear on and a fight of that magnitude you can’t take those kinds of chances. I don’t know whether he had head gear off or not but the place where the cut is it seems so unlikely. Disregard for his profession, disregard for the fans… more than likely it came from him being reckless.
“May, that’s cutting it short, that is hurrying it up. I can see that cut re-opening if they go in May. I would push the fight back to June or July to be sure. [And] I personally as a boxing trainer would push it back. The longer that he takes time for it to heal, the better the cut is going to be but I don’t know about May,” Bashir said
Fury’s Training
In addition, Fury’s legs have slowed down since his fights with Wilder and Francis Ngannou. He was dropped in both fights, showing he is not as elusive as he once was. While Usyk does not have the biggest punch, this is heavyweight boxing where anything can happen. But Fury’s sparring partner Ty Mitchell says otherwise. He recently underwent numerous rounds to help the Gypsy King prepare for Usyk. Based on what he has seen so far, he expects the WBC Heavyweight Champion to be too much for Usyk to handle.
“Sparring the number one heavyweight on the planet whilst fasting? Yeah completed it mate. Total domination May 18th in Saudi! Inn shaa Allah,” Mitchell said
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