Tyson Fury versus Oleksandr Usyk is one of the toughest fights to call in early 2024 but Riddick Bowe thinks he knows exactly the round in which it will end.
This fight had been a long time coming but is now fast approaching with February 17 in Saudi Arabia just weeks away. The build-up has seen plenty of people wondering about how Fury is going to fair given that he was below par in his last fight against Francis Ngannou.
His own father thinks there has been something of a decline and the huge Day of Reckoning card last week also had an impact on his resume with former foes Otto Wallin and Deontay Wilder both being easily beaten by Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker respectively.
Meanwhile, Ukranian Usyk has continued to show superb form since coming up from being undisputed cruiserweight champion with back-to-back wins over Joshua and then a second defence of his three heavyweight world title belts against Daniel Dubois.
Speaking to Fight Hype, Bowe doesn’t think the fight will make it to the halfway point.
“I think it will be a great fight but I’m going to go with Tyson, I think he’ll get to him in the 5th round.”
That would be some performance for Fury to knock out a man who has not yet been put down in the heavyweight division.
Frank Warren wants to see Anthony Joshua take on Daniel Dubois following their respective wins during the Day of Reckoning on December 23.
In the main event, AJ rolled back the years as he ruthlessly stopped Otto Wallin in five rounds in Ridyah, Saudi Arabia to set himself up for a big year in 2024.
AJ took care of Wallin, but Wilder couldn’t fulfil his end of the bargain
Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder was supposed to be his next opponent – the long-time rivals had already signed to fight each other.
However, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ suffered a shocking upset loss to Joseph Parker in the co-main event, and Joshua is now left scoping the heavyweight ranks for a big-name opponent.
Warren thinks Dubois would be the perfect dance partner for Joshua.
“For me, [Dubois] could fight any of those guys in the top 10. Even AJ would be a good fight. I’d watch that all day long,” the Hall of Fame boxing promoter told talkSPORT Breakfast on Wednesday.
‘DDD’ bounced back from his KO defeat to Oleksandr Usyk by stopping previously unbeaten contender Jarrell Miller in the final seconds of their 10-round bout.
“I thought Daniel Dubois was brilliant,” Warren said.
“Absolutely magnificent. He proved to all his doubters that he does have heart in a tough, tough fight against a guy who is very good with his gamesmanship, was a tough, tough competitor and made him fight all the way.”
Many believed Dubois scored a legitimate knockdown when he fought Usyk in August, but the referee called it a low blow and the Englishman faced quitting claims after being counted out in round nine.
Dubois picked up the biggest win of his career in style
Warren added: “He needed a confidence booster.”
“That fight with Usyk, he gave Usyk his toughest fight. He hurt him to the body, and, for me, that was a legitimate punch, and the referee giving him more than four minutes to recover was ridiculous.
“That fight is gone, and he got a lot of stick afterwards about his desire, and whether he really wants to be at the top level.
“Well, he showed that he does because that was a tough fight. He had to dig deep. He had to grit his teeth, and he did all those things.”
Now, his promoter thinks he’s ready to fight AJ
Joshua’s main goal is to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.
Filip Hrgovic, the IBF mandatory challenger, appears to be his quickest route back to glory and is the first name AJ mentioned during his post-fight press conference.
Dubois is certainly a more well-known opponent and could provide Joshua with the big payday he missed out on when Wilder suffered his third career defeat.
Only time will tell if Warren will be able to make the fight happen.
Mike Tyson gave a typically humble response after Deontay Wilder boldly claimed he would “kick the hell” out of a prime version of ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’.
Wilder, who recently slumped to a unanimous decision against Joseph Parker after surviving a barrage of overhand rights and left hooks, previously bragged about the idea of beating a younger ‘Iron’ Mike.
Back in 2018, when TMZ specifically asked then-WBC heavyweight champion Wilder if he would stand a chance against Tyson, he responded: “Yes.”
‘The Bronze Bomber’ then went on to claim that he fears no heavyweight, past or present. “Me vs Tyson in ’86, I’d kick the hell outta that guy,” he said without hesitation.
“Listen, I’ve got to keep it real. I know people always go back to the old school or look at the new school and there’s no school where I’m not No 1 on Earth.”
Two years later and Tyson responded to Wilder’s bold claim. Speaking to TNT Sports, he said he was unsure if the Alabama-born fighter would have beaten him but admired the 38-year-old’s confidence.
“I don’t know [whether I’d beat him],” he said. “I love the fact that he thinks that, because that’s the way I would think as well.
“He’s supposed to think that way, he is the heavyweight champion of the world and that’s something very special.”
Tyson certainly remained humble in front of the BT cameras but back in 2018, he was once again asked if Wilder could have beaten him in a fight. “I don’t think so,” he replied.
Former British heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis was far more vocal in his response to Deontay Wilder’s comments.
“I just heard Deontay Wilder said he would destroy a young Mike Tyson,” he said.
“My thoughts are that it’s easy to talk until you actually get in the ring. I like Wilder but he’s never been in there with someone that ferocious who truly wants to break his ribs with every punch. I don’t see it.
“I love Wilder’s confidence… you need that to sit atop the heavyweight division… he’s hungry and shows up in probably best shape in division… but there’s levels to it… and he’s still adding to his arsenal.
“My best advice to the entire crop of young heavyweight champs is to focus on being the best of YOUR era! Out of respect and reality. It’s unprovable. Of course people asked, but I found no need to speculate or compare myself to my idol Ali or any other of the past greats.”
Lewis added: “History will decide your place among the all time greats… so go out there, clean up the division, defend your title, reign supreme and your work will speak for itself.”
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