WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine champion Oleksandr Usyk 21-0 (14) should have little trouble defeating WBC titleholder Tyson Fury 34-0-1 (24), according to one former opponent.
The four-belt unification bout will take place at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 18.
Retired former WBC 200-pound champion Tony Bellew faced Ukrainian southpaw Usyk, 37, in his final professional bout six years ago.
Usyk, the undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world at the time, was able to figure out his opponent and stop him in the eighth.
In the bout before Bellew, Usyk delivered a near-perfect performance to defeat then-unbeaten Murat Gassiev in Russia by virtual shutout.
Usyk’s body off work and ability to adapt to any style will see him get his hand raised later this month, according to Bellew.
“The job he did against Gassiev in Russia was absolutely phenomenal. He did not take a shot and that is what he’s capable of doing when he gets in the ring,” Bellew said to talkSPORT.
“He adjusts and he adapts with each style that he faces. Tyson Fury may pose some problems early on because of his size and because of his weight, but ultimately [Usyk] will adapt and adjust and take over the fight, and he will win on points unanimously.
“I think Tyson Fury stood the best chance of beating him when he was with his uncle Peter Fury because that was when he was an unorthodox, big, awkward fighter who used his size and his attributes to his advantage to his advantage.
“Now he likes to press fighters and look for knockouts with [trainer] Sugarhill Steward at the Kronk [gym]. He’s a different fighter. He’s someone that looks for a knockout. That’s music to Oleksandr Usyk’s ears. I’ve been in there with him. The boy is exceptional at what he does.
“I think Oleksandr Usyk is going to win on points. If Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury were the same size, this fight wouldn’t even be up for debate. [Fury] wouldn’t win a round.
“This fight is so close is because Tyson Fury is six-foot-eight, six-foot-nine and he’s going in with guy that is the same dimensions as me, six-foot-three and about 225-pounds.”
Meanwhile, Fury and Usyk’s common opponent Derek Chisora says it will be the corners who ultimately determine the victor of the fight.
“Tyson looks good,” Chisora said to Pro Boxing Fans. “I see his dad holding his pads for him. What people don’t understand is a father and a son’s bond when they train with each other, it’s unbelievable. It’s what people don’t understand.
“If Tyson has his dad in his corner, he’ll walk over Usyk easily because he has his dad in his corner. That’s it, bro. It’s going to be a great fight.”
