Duke McKenzie is backing Oleksandr Usyk to beat Tyson Fury on points and has laid out exactly how he does it.
The British boxing legend anticipates Usyk will get a read on Fury early, nullify him on the inside and then outwork him over the distance.
A lot has been made about Fury’s superior size and weight in the lead-up to fight night
Several members of the boxing fraternity believe the Mancunian will be simply too big for Usyk when they duke it out in Saudi Arabia on May 18 for the undisputed heavyweight crown.
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‘The Gypsy King’ is 6ft 9in and tends to weigh in at around 270lb for his fights.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Usyk, who previously boxed plied his trade in the cruiserweight division, stands at 6ft 3inch and will likely be 50lb lighter when he steps on the scales.
However, McKenzie, a former three-weight world champion and veteran of 46 professional fights (39-7), expects Usyk’s boxing IQ to shine through.
“Usyk wins, I hate to pour cold water on anyone’s parade but for me, Usyk wins because he’s a much more complete all-round fighter,” he told talkSPORT Fight Night on Saturday.
“I don’t think Fury has boxed anyone like him and Usyk will be so up for this fight and a good Oleksandr Usyk probably hold his own with just about any heavyweight that’s ever lived…
“His ring IQ, he’s very intellectual, very sensible, he punches perfectly, he times himself perfectly, he can nullify the bigger guys’ size.
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“That’s what I think he will do against Fury, he can nullify his size and take that size difference away from him by getting on the inside, staying in the pocket, working him over and probably wearing him down – that’s how I see that fight.
“Over 12 rounds, Oleksandr Usyk will be too much for Tyson Fury in terms of work rate. Fury’s work rate isn’t great at the best of times, he fiddles, he messes around, he feints, he twitches.”
Expanding on what Fury brings to the table, McKenzie added: “Fury can be read, you know what he’s going to do.
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“He’s going to use his weight, he’s going to use his height and he’s going to try and lean on you, spoil you, push you back if he can, fiddle around, flick his jabs out, put a little combination together and then just keep leaning on you.
“The only problem Usyk will have is that Fury doesn’t know what he’s going to do from one minute to the next when he’s in the ring.”
