According to reports, Oleksandr Usyk, the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titlist, believes that Tyson Fury underestimated Francis Ngannou. Usyk, who is set to face Fury in February, stated that Fury will approach their fight differently after his last bout. The highly anticipated showdown between the two heavyweight champions has lost some of its shine following Fury's match against UFC legend Ngannou. Despite emerging victorious, Fury struggled against Ngannou, who managed to drop him to the mat during their ten-round affair. This performance has raised questions about Fury's boxing skills, as barely getting past a mixed martial artist in their boxing debut is not a good look.
Usyk, on the other hand, believes that Fury's poor performance was due to his decision to face Ngannou without proper preparation, both mentally and physically. In other words, Usyk expects a much stronger Fury when they finally meet in the ring. "But again," he adds, "I absolutely don't care about how he'll behave. What I care about is how I will behave." Usyk also admits that even he was surprised by Ngannou's performance against Fury. "Ngannou did a good job in the gym," Usyk said, "and then showed a good level in the ring. Very few people believed in Ngannou. Even when I was asked about him, I said that he's not enough."
However, Usyk is now fully focused on Fury, who is a force to be reckoned with when he's in top form. "He is big, complicated, strong," said Usyk, "but I am slightly smaller, and I have an incredible motivation, and I'm hungry for boxing. I'm not motivated by money." Usyk emphasizes that his goal is the glory of becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. "I don't care about material things," he said. "I care about the path I follow. I have been fighting for this for 20 years. And I believe that in February, we will hear the bell." This is what fans have been waiting for, an undisputed heavyweight title fight. To finally see it happen would be fantastic news for the sport.
The question now, perhaps, is whether or not Fury will be able to look his best when he faces Usyk. Was the Ngannou fight an anomaly? Or did Fury take it lightly? Or – gasp – has the man simply run out of steam after a long and often difficult career? The answers may well be right around the corner.
