Don Charles has been in the losing corner more than once vs Oleksandr Usyk, so there are few better judges to break down the Ukrainian’s showdown with Tyson Fury.
Fury vs Usyk will finally go down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 17 – and the winner will be boxing’s first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis way back in 1999.
Latest Heavyweight Rankings: Where do Joshua and Wilder land after Saudi?
When this fight was first talked about, Fury was a clear favourite with the betting experts, but now it is virtually a ‘pick em’ affair. This after ‘The Gypsy King’ struggled to outpoint former UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou in the MMA star’s first fight as a professional boxer.
Fury vs Usyk verdict
Charles has gone up against Usyk twice now, first with Dereck Chisora in 2020 and then in the Ukrainian’s last fight against Daniel Dubois in August 2023. Both times Oleksandr prevailed. You might think he may favour the former cruiserweight king vs Fury then? Not so – instead he has zero doubt about the outcome.
He told talkSPORT: This Fury who has gone silent, I believe he’s gone silent, he’s gone away to train, he’s taking it seriously. Forgive me if I get this wrong, but I don’t even think it will be a hard fight for Fury. He’ll maul him, he’s too big for Usyk, he’ll maul him, hit him, tie him up, push him off, he’ll maul him.”
Current heavyweight champions: The latest on all the major belts
Usyk is an absolutely brilliant technician, a man who has never even come close to defeat in a stellar pro career to date. Charles believes he knows the right gameplan for the IBF, WBA, WBO and Ring magazine champion – he still does not believe it will be enough to bring victory though.
“I’ve looked at this fight and no matter how I look at it I come to one conclusion,” he reasoned.
“Yes, Usyk is an exceptional, brilliant technician/tactician. Usyk has a fantastic rhythm that can offset Fury. [He needs to throw] lots of feints, shoot to the body, leave the head alone. Throw all your combinations to the waist, don’t go up, leave Fury’s head alone, that’s what I would advise.”
What’s at stake in Fury vs Usyk
This unification match will be for ALL of the heavyweight marbles. Every single one.
Usyk is the IBF, WBA, WBO and Ring magazine champion while Fury holds the WBC and lineal titles.
Also likely to go (barring a draw) will be the unbeaten record of one of these two fighters.
Fury is 34-0-1 as a professional, while Usyk has a 21-0 ledger in the paid ranks.
