Oleksandr Usyk warned he could 'get shafted' in Tyson Fury fight as concerns raised ahead of mega boxing bout

Oleksandr Usyk warned he could 'get shafted' in Tyson Fury fight as concerns raised ahead of mega boxing bout

WATCH NOW: Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury face off before fight

Lewis Winter

By Lewis Winter


Published: 26/03/2024

- 11:04

The pair will battle it out in Saudi Arabia in May as they aim to become undisputed champion

Tony Bellew is concerned that Oleksandr Usyk could 'get shafted' in his undisputed heavyweight clash against Tyson Fury.

Bellew is convinced that the Ukrainian will beat the Gypsy King 'comfortably' as long as the scorecards fairly reflect the match.


Usyk and Fury will put their belts on the line in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 18 in the first heavyweight undisputed fight in 25 years.

Boxing fans have been made to wait after the fight, initially scheduled for February 16, was postponed after Fury sustained a cut above his eye in training.

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury

Boxing news: Tony Bellew is concerned Oleksandr Usyk could 'get shafted' against Tyson Fury

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Fury looks in great shape compared to his last fight when he almost fell to a shock defeat against boxing novice Francis Ngannou.

He was floored by Ngannou in the third round and many felt the former MMA star deserved the judges' decision.

Former cruiserweight champion Bellew believes Usyk will have too much for his opponent and hopes for the right outcome.

He told Spinbet: "I tip my hat off to Tyson Fury, he looks in great shape, but it still doesn’t make me change my mind as I still think he loses to Oleksandr Usyk.

"I think he loses on points and as long as Usyk doesn’t get shafted (by the scorecards), he wins comfortably.

"On the technical side of things, Tyson Fury has always struggled with smaller movers and is horrendous when it comes to counterpunchers. If you go on the backfoot against Fury, he is lost."

Bellew knows all about Usyk having been knocked out by him in his last professional fight in 2018.

He admits Fury will be a different style of opponent to anything the 37-year-old has faced before.

Bellew added: "Both guys know what is on the table, both guys are fully prepared for each other and have a lot of footage to study each other.

"I don’t think Tyson Fury is keen on the footage side of things or studying fighters, but I think Usyk will.

"He will pay attention to every single detail possible and will leave no stone unturned.

"The hardest thing for Usyk is preparing for somebody like Fury because he is a unicorn – nobody has ever been seen like him before.

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Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk

Boxing news: Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will battle it out on May 18

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"Six-foot-eight, 20 stone, moves like a light heavyweight, has really good footwork, doesn’t take the greatest shot but then again Usyk isn’t the biggest of punchers…

"Knowing Usyk though, they would have tapped into everything and will know what they are getting into."

Bellew believes Usyk will be on the 'greatest run' in boxing history if he gets victory over Fury.

He said: "It will be fascinating, but I think it won’t be pretty to watch but Oleksandr Usyk will grind out the victory.

Daniel Dubois and Oleksandr Usyk

Boxing news: Oleksandr Usyk hasn't fought since beating Daniel Dubois

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"I hope he doesn’t get shafted because if he does get the decision, I believe it is the greatest run of any fighter I have seen.

"Every champion he has went into his backyard and unified divisions. He did it throughout the cruiserweight division and unified.

"He came to the heavyweight champion’s backyard (Anthony Joshua in London) and beat him on his own turf.

"He’s going to beat Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia against all of the odds, talk about an underdog story."

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