Tyson Fury believes a win over Oleksandr Usyk puts him in a class all his own at heavyweight.
WBC heavyweight champion Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) meets Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs), who holds the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles, in an undisputed championship fight Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Fury, who’s beaten the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Deontay Wilder, Dillian Whyte, and Otto Wallin, sees Usyk as his most formidable opponent to date.
“I think he’s the best opponent I’ve ever faced, because I’ve fought world heavyweight champions before, I’ve fought undefeated people before, I’ve fought Olympic gold medals before, but I’ve never fought a two-weight world champion before,” Fury said in an interview with DAZN. “So, I think that puts him at the top of it all.”
Fury’s most recent showing wasn’t his best. He welcomed former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou to the boxing ring last October and scraped by with a split decision win in a fight he was knocked down. Prior to that, Fury had scored four straight knockout wins over Wilder twice, Whyte, and Derek Chisora.
If he can get past Usyk, “The Gypsy King” believes he should be considered the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.
“I think this win puts me at No. 1, barring none,” Fury said. “Beating Usyk now puts me No. 1 status of all time.”
