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Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk predictions: Fury to let his hands do the talking
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Gareth Freeman
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Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will compete for undisputed glory
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will compete for undisputed glory

- Tyson Fury has won four of his last five fights by KO or TKO
- Oleksandr Usyk is fighting for just the sixth time as a heavyweight
- Recommended bet:
Oleksandr Usyk to be knocked down at 5/2 PRICE BOOST was 2/1

The wait is nearly over as Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will meet in a massive heavyweight title fight in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

The fight was initially supposed to happen in December but was delayed until February, before an injury to Fury in training saw the clash pushed back to May.

The winner will become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in over 20 years and the first of the four-belt era. Both men come into the bout unbeaten as professionals, and Fury is the marginal favourite in what should be a thrilling contest between two technically gifted fighters.

The stats

Fury has a 34-0-1 record, with 24 of his wins coming inside the distance, while Usyk has a 21-0 record, and 14 of those wins have come via stoppages.

Only one of Fury’s last seven fights has lasted 12 rounds, and the British fighter has a six-inch height advantage and a seven-inch reach advantage over the Ukranian.

Usyk has fought five times as a heavyweight and has two stoppage wins. 

Tyson Fury will hope to maintain his unbeaten record against Oleksandr Usyk
Tyson Fury will hope to maintain his unbeaten record against Oleksandr Usyk

Prediction

This is an incredibly tough fight to call, as so many questions will not be answered until the two men enter the ring on Saturday night.

Fury has height and reach advantages and is the more natural heavyweight, while Usyk is arguably the most technically gifted active boxer and his superior speed and movement are his major advantages. 

However, Fury is also an elite fighter in terms of his skill set, and Usyk carries plenty of power, so they have the tools to counteract each other’s apparent strengths.

Fury’s size, power and recent record of stopping his opponents suggests he might just have a bit too much for Usyk on the night. The Ukrainian will need to be perfect throughout to execute his game plan, as he simply cannot be drawn into a firefight, while Fury may only need to engineer one opening to finish this bout off.

Backing Fury to win via KO or TKO is one option, but the Price Boost available on Usyk to be knocked down looks like a strong play.

Admittedly, Usyk has never officially been knocked down but he was sent to the canvas by Daniel Dubois in his last bout but that was controversially ruled to be a low blow.

Fury is both the biggest and quickest heavyweight Usyk will have come up against and even if he spends the majority of the contest chasing shadows he has enough quality to land at least one power shot, which may be all that is required to score a knockdown.  

If Dubois can catch Usyk, Fury certainly can, and it would not be a surprise to see him knocked down for the first time in his career on what is likely to be his toughest test to date. 

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