It seems Oleksandr Usyk has another new opponent in line for his eagerly awaited heavyweight debut. First up, as fans may recall, it was supposed to be Carlos Takam who would welcome the four-belt cruiserweight king to the land of the giants, then it was Andrey Fedosov. And now, in a big twist, former kick-boxer and MMA warrior Tyrone Spong is reportedly the man in line to face Usyk on October 12th.
According to boxing writer Mike Coppinger, sources tell The Athletic how Spong, unbeaten but untested as a pro heavyweight, will get the fight with Usyk providing he comes through okay tomorrow night, when he will fight the 14-1-1(8) Jayson Minda. What kind of a heavyweight welcome can 33 year old, 6’2” Spong, 13-0(12) give Usyk?
Spong had genuine power as both a kick-boxer and as an MMA fighter (having just two fights here, winning both) but we know little about his ability as a boxer. The man from The Netherlands who is dubbed “The King Of The Ring,” went pro back in March of 2016 and he has since won and defended the WBC Latino heavyweight title along with the WBO Latino heavyweight strap. Names that may be familiar, such as Carlos Nascimento and Santander Silgado, have been beaten by Spong.
If the fight with Usyk comes off it could be a somewhat dangerous fight for the Ukrainain southpaw – how much does HE know about Spong? Naturally aggressive and always looking for the KO or stoppage, Spong can be expected to come right at Usyk and try and land some bombs. If he gets the fight, that is.
Stay tuned. Let’s see if Spong can get past Minda, a guy who has been stopped once and is coming off a win, before we get too interested in a possible Usyk-Spong collision. Takam and Fedosov are both far more experienced than Spong, yet there could be an x-factor, a genuine element of danger, to this new match for the masterful Usyk.