IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and WBC belt holder Tyson Fury are reportedly in talks for an undisputed match in Saudi Arabia in March, according to ESPN.
Hopefully, Fury doesn’t flub up the negotiations with Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) the way he did with Anthony Joshua by setting up deadlines.
There’s no reason for Fury to start with the deadline business because there’s no one that he’s in a mad rush to go and fight.
Fury already said this week that he would never give Joshua another opportunity to fight him after he failed to respond fast enough to his two deadlines to sign the contract.
As such, if Fury gives Usyk similar deadlines, you can reach the conclusion that he has cold feet and is afraid to fight the talented three-belt champion.
“I’m told that there are still talks going on for Fury to fight Usyk in Saudi Arabia in March for all four belts,” said Mike Coppinger to ESPN’s Max On Boxing.
“Fury saw Joshua as a tune-up, I suppose. Fury didn’t think Joshua presented much of a challenge, and Chisora seems to be the only one available that has a big name in the UK.”
There were plenty of heavyweights in the UK that were available, but whether Fury wanted to fight any of them is the real question. Joe Joyce and Daniel Dubois would have been great options for Fury, but the risk of him losing to those guys would have been high.
Fury is now seen as the #1 heavyweight, but don’t be surprised if Usyk brings him down to earth as David did to Goliath. The style that Fury uses, which involves him leaning on stationary fighters with all his 260+ lb weight, won’t apply to his fight with Usyk because he’s a mover.
So, all the Sugarhill Steward mugging stuff that Fury has been taught by the American trainer won’t be nearly as effective against Usyk as it was against the stationary fighters Deontay Wilder and Dillian Whyte.
If Fury is smart, he’ll trim down to the low 240s for the Usyk fght because he will not be able to use his weight on him the way he did against Wilder & Whyte. Fury needs a different type of trainer for the Usyk fight because the Kronk Gym style doesn’t work well against movers.
“Like you say, he’s [Chisora] a credible opponent. The problem is that Fury has already beaten him twice, so who really wants to see that again?” said Coppinger.
I wouldn’t say that Chisora is a “credible opponent.” He’s 3 out of his last 4 fights and arguably should have lost all four fights. The 38-year-old Chisora’s recent 12 round split decision win over 41-year-old Kubrat Pulev was controversial in the eyes of many boxing fans.
It looked like Pulev deserved the victory, but he was fighting in London in Chisora’s backyard.
“As a tune-up for Usyk, I don’t really mind it. I do think we get that fight, and I don’t know where Joshua goes from here,” said Coppinger.
The Chisora fight is expected to be a slam dunk win for Fury, as Delboy is an ancient 38 and stands virtually no chance of winning.