Lennox Lewis views the undisputed heavyweight championship fight between multi-belt champ Oleksandr Usyk and WBC champion Tyson Fury as a “Bunny vs. Giraffe” type of match-up.
Lewis sees the two champions as having different styles, which he feels will make for an exciting contest. He says Usyk, the smaller fighter Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), reminds him of a bully with the way he moves around the ring and is difficult to catch up to.
Usyk: The Elusive Bunny
IBF, WBA & WBO heavyweight champion Usyk used his elusive style to defeat Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua. Those guys couldn’t get to Usyk often enough with their power shots to knock him out or win a decision.
Tyson is the favorite to win this fight, but the bettors are basing it off his wins over Deontay Wilder, Dereck Chisora, and Dillian Whyte, the best wins that he’s recorded since his victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
Those aren’t top-level heavyweights that Fury has beaten recently, and it’s pretty obvious that his management has been steering him away from the risky fighters to keep him from losing.
So instead of Fury fighting Jared Anderson, Zhilei Zhang, Filip Hrgovic, or Frank Sanchez, he’s been fighting Chisora, Francis Ngannou, Wilder, and Whyte.
He’s been protected, and that’s why there’s a very good chance that Fury loses to Usyk because this is his first talented foe since his win against an old 39-year-old Wladimir.
Fury: The Towering Giraffe
The 6’9″ Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) is a “giraffe” in Lewis’ eyes for obvious reasons. What Lewis seems to be hinting at with these names is that neither of these fighters is known for their power, and they’re vulnerable in their own way.
Lewis didn’t say anything about the 35-year-old Fury’s recent poor performance against Francis Ngannou last October, looking fat & old, winning a controversial ten round split decision.
Fury is training hard for this fight, trying to trim off the belly side fat that he was carrying around for the Ngannou clash. However, even if he does take that weight off, his lack of speed, mobility, and age could him problems against Usyk.
Given the money that is at stake for Fury against Anthony Joshua, hopefully, there’s not a controversial decision given to Tyson in order to keep that match-up as a possibility.
Can Size Overwhelm Skill?
“It’s no disrespect, but everybody has that animal side, and he reminds me of a bunny rabbit because he moves so well and nobody can catch him,” said Lennox Lewis to Fight Hub TV, saying that Oleksandr Usyk reminds him of a “bunny rabbit.”
Usyk just seems like a good boxer, who doesn’t stand still like Fury’s opponents in the last nine years since his best career win against Wladimir. It’s important not to stand still against Fury because he mauls all of his opponents nowadays, grabbing, leaning, and putting all of his 270+ lb weight on them.
It’s an ugly style, but that’s what Fury has become. Getting old is no fun, but Fury has found a way around it by using his weight and careful match-making by his promoters to keep winning.
“Then I look at Tyson Fury, and he’s like a giraffe,” said Lewis. “I see them like two animals fighting each other, but who is going to win? Is it going to be the bunny rabbit or the giraffe?
“I don’t think Tyson has to move around a lot. Usyk has to move around a lot,” said Lewis, making an obvious point. “He’s going to be using the ring up, and he’s going to be in and out.
“He’s no easy fight for Tyson Fury. You have to remember. This guy [Usyk] is a [former] undisputed champion, and he hasn’t lost. So, you can never take your glove away from him. This man is a winner, a survivor, and he hates to lose.
“I think it’s a one-fight, but we may get surprised. You never know,” said Lewis about the possibility of there being only one fight between Fury & Usyk, even though there’s a rematch clause, and it’s widely believed the loser of this clash will force a second contest.
