Usyk will struggle against elite – Fury

LONDON — Tyson Fury said that he respected Oleksandr Usyk ahead of their unified world heavyweight title bout on May 18 but questioned whether his opponent could contend with a much bigger fighter after making the step up to the heavyweight class. The long-awaited fight between the two undefeated boxers was originally scheduled for Feb. 17 in Riyadh but postponed two weeks before the bout when Britain’s Fury suffered a cut during sparring. Billed as the “Ring of Fire”, the fight will now take place on May 18 to unify Fury’s WBC heavyweight championship with the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts held by Usyk, one of the best pound for pound boxers in the world. Fury, who admitted to being a bit depressed when the fight was postponed, said he was in fantastic shape but did not want the bout to be portrayed as one between two men who despised each other. “This is not personal; it’s strictly business for both fighters. I don’t hate him, I respect him as a man, as a fighter,” Fury told a news conference recently. “He’s unified heavyweight champion so anyone should respect his achievements. But I’m very confident in my ability. “My personal opinion is we have weight divisions for a reason. When the cruiserweights step up to the big boys, they’re found wanting. You can beat the average big ones but not the elite big ones.” Usyk, a former undisputed cruiserweight champion who vacated his titles to move up to heavyweight, is six feet three inches. Fury is six inches taller and has a longer reach than the Ukrainian. “This is my time, my destiny, my era and my generation,” Fury added. “If I can’t beat Usyk, I’m no good, clearly. I’m not going to pull any punches (saying that).” While the Briton has taken every opportunity to dismiss his opponent, Usyk has been far more reserved. “This is showbiz, entertainment – if they don’t talk about what’s going on then people lose interest. If you don’t talk smack in this game, you’re never going to make it,” Fury said. “My advice is talk smack, and then people notice you.” Elsewhere, Dmitry Bivol said that he “loves” the challenge of coming up against Artur Beterbiev on June 1. Beterbiev (20-0) and Bivol (22-0) will fight for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO championships to decide who is the undisputed light-heavyweight champion in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Bivol quickly rose to global prominence when he handed Canelo Alvarez just the second loss of his career in Las Vegas via unanimous decision in July 2022. Since then Bivol, 33, has recorded wins over Gilberto Ramirez in Abu Dhabi and a convincing decision victory over Lyndon Arthur in Saudi Arabia. Bivol said that he is “excited” by the “test” of 39-year-old Beterbiev whose last two wins came via technical knockout against British duo Callum Smith and Anthony Yarde. “I’m happy because when I signed a contract to be a pro boxer I had a goal to be undisputed champion,” Bivol told reporters at the first fight press conference in London. “Everything I went through was to make it to my goal. Even my fight against Canelo was my tickets for big fights. Now I’m happy that I will have a fight on June 1 for all of the belts. “Every time when I’m on my training camp I think my opponent is the most dangerous opponent in the world. “These thoughts help me to be in focus. To be serious in my training camp and of course he is one of the most dangerous opponents. Even if we see his record, his fights. “He is powerful and it makes me more excited to fight this guy because I love challenges. I love to be tested and this fight is a huge test for me.