Russ Anber believes the Ukrainian did not reach his maximum in the first fight
Russ Anbercutman for the WBO/WBA/IBO/WBC heavyweight title holder Alexandra Usika (22-0, 14 KOs), said that the former WBC world champion Tyson Fury underestimated the Ukrainian in their first fight.
“Beating Fury again would be great, but we did it when it mattered, for the undisputed title. When everyone said Usyk couldn’t do it, when everyone was picking Fury to win, we were the underdogs – everyone thought Fury was too big, too smart. Fury thought he was too big, too strong for Usyk, but we beat him in the first fight – that’s what matters.”
“I don’t think you’ve seen the best version of Usyk, to be honest. His best version would have been on the date that was originally scheduled. The postponement made him a little bit out of steam. He was peaking, he was ready, I think you would have seen the perfect Usyk. Maybe you’ll see him this time.”
In his last fight on the night of May 19, Usyk inflicted the first defeat of his professional career on Tyson Fury in a fight that took place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). The victory was awarded to the Ukrainian by a split decision of the judges: 115-112, 113-114 and 114-113.
Oleksandr is the second boxer in history after Evander Holyfield, who was the absolute world champion in cruiserweight and heavyweight. Also, the Ukrainian boxer became the third (after Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue) in the era of four prestigious titles absolute champion in two weight categories.
Usyk subsequently issued a statement in which he announced that he would give the IBF belt to the winner of the British derby between his two former opponents in the ring – Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua.. Thus, Alexander lost the status of absolute world champion in heavyweight, which he had held for more than a month.
Usyk and Fury have reached an agreement for a rematch. The “Gypsy King” has officially activated the rematch option. The second fight between Alexander and Tyson will take place on December 21, 2024, in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman said he would seek the introduction of video replays in this fight.
Source: Sportarena
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
