Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set to fight next month to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
Usyk brings the WBA, WBO and IBF belts to the table, pitted against Fury’s WBC for the historic contest that will, in many minds, show the best of a generation.
With two tricky styles, the fight could be won on game-plan alone, and thus a lot of eyes are on how each man prepares. Someone who knows them in the gym well is Martin Bakole.
The heavyweight contender is a regular sparring partner of Fury’s – although not for this particular bout – and has claimed to have stopped Usyk in the gym in the past.
Speaking to IFL TV, Bakole said he can see a path to victory for both of his former sparring partners but ultimately sat on the fence when it comes to the final result.
This is a hard question. Very hard question. 50/50. On points I can see Usyk, and knockout, it maybe a surprise, but the Gypsy King. Because he has to fix his mistakes, you know, people judge him against Ngannou. Imagine if he stops Usyk, they will say that the Ngannou fight was a little bit of a mistake, he didn’t take it serious.”
“It’s so hard because I know Usyk is world class. Top class movement. But the Gypsy King … I’ll go draw for me.”
Whilst Usyk has put an open call out for sparring partners who feel they can emulate the giant Brit, Fury’s camp has spoken to cruiserweight king Jai Opetaia as well as rising heavyweight star Moses Itauma.
Many fans feel both men showed vulnerabilities in their last outings, making this one, set for Riyadh on February 17, all the more intriguing.
