WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk 21-0 (14) will finally get the chance to prove he is the best big man of the modern era when he matches wits and skills with WBC titleholder Tyson Fury 34-0-1 (24) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 17.
The 36-year-old Ukrainian southpaw has long coveted a shot at Britain’s Fury, 35, but previous negotiations fell apart before a big money offer from Saudi Arabia was too good for either party to refuse.
Usyk’s manager Egis Klimas knows they have a big mountain to climb in front of them, but says that the former undisputed cruiserweight champion will leave no stone unturned in camp to ensure he is at his best come fight night.
“We’ve been working to get this fight for a long, long time and finally we did it!” Klimas said to British Boxing News.
“Definitely it isn’t going to be an easy fight. It will probably be the hardest fight of Oleksandr’s career.
“He’s confident, but simultaneously he knows full well that there’s going to be a lot of work to do. He’s a hard worker, a good athlete and a very good fighter.”
Usyk has a tall order in front of him. Listed as six-foot-nine by Boxrec and regularly boxing around the 270-pound mark, Fury will be by far and away the biggest man Usyk has ever boxed.
“It’s not going to be easy to get sparring partners, because Tyson Fury is very tall, with a long reach and he has a very awkward style and he’s heavy, so this is going to be the biggest challenge,” Klimas said.
“But I have no doubts that Oleksandr is going to win.
“Factors will be his footwork, his intelligence, his boxing IQ. I wouldn’t even say Fury has big power. He has a lot of weight and he leans on fighters. That’s how he wears them down. But it won’t be easy to beat down Oleksandr.”
Victory for Usyk will see him achieve the rare feat of becoming a two-weight undisputed champion after formerly holding all four major world titles along with the Ring Magazine championship at 200-pounds before moving up in weight four years ago.
“Don’t forget that as cruiserweight champion Oleksandr already held all four belts,” Klimas said. “Nobody believed that he could go so far in the heavyweight division. Nobody believed that he could come in and dominate the heavyweight division, which he is doing.
“I’ve been blessed to work with Oleksandr. Of course this means a lot to me. He’s a very good human being. He has no envy, he always smiles, is happy he enjoys greeting people. It is a pleasure to be with Oleksandr.
“This will be a great show. The biggest show!”
