By Babatunde ‘Kratos’ Koiki
It is a fight that has been a quarter of a century in the making. For so long the fractured nature of the boxing landscape ensured that we never got to see the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Rival sanctioning bodies, rival promoters, rival broadcasters, rival egos and opposing valuations of how much each fighter should get created an unnavigable minefield.
Until the arrival of Turki Alalshikh. Like an Arabian desert cowboy, he rounded up all these rival factions and like somme Middle Eastern godfather, he made them all an offer they couldn’t refuse: astounding wealth. Just to understand how much of an influence he had on the sport, he has brought together Matchroom head honcho Eddie Hearn and Queensberry don Frank Warren, brokering a truce between two men who until a few months ago, had reportedly never even spoken to each other.
Now they are in the same room, taking photos together and even shooting a Guy Ritchie-style promo for their upcoming 5 v 5 showdown. Why? When the bag hit the floor, animosities were shoved into cellars and locked away. Negotiating an event like this meant that money was going to deciding factor. And the fact that its happening means everyone is happy.
I mean Tyson Fury will earn a reported $100million while Oleksandr Usyk would earn a “paltry” $30million. The Ukrainian doesn’t really care. He just wants that legacy. If he wins, he will become the first man in history to be undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight champion. Win or lose, he will go into boxing’s hall of fame in the future.
His exploits as European and world champion as well as Olympic gold as an amateur provided a powerful base for a truly remarkable career. But for those who have watched Usyk, they will tell you he is not to be toyed with. Boxing analysts will tell you that there are three types of boxers.
The first type throws punches at his opponent. Those are average boxers. The second type throws punches where his opponent is going to be. Those are good boxers. The third type throws punches that manouveres his opponent into the space he wats them to be. Those are damn good boxers or maestros. Oleksandr Usyk is a maestro.
Every punch is calculated to move the opponent into spaces where their choices are limited, setting them up. Its like when hunters drive prey into the kill zone. You never see it coming. Because the feints, the traps, the movement, the footwork and the sheer volume of punches he is throwing is all calculated to wear you down. He basically DROWNS YOU in punches. His victims are never hurt. Just worked to death like a galley slave who has been rowing 24hrs at full speed nonstop. That is why if this fight goes 12 rounds, Usyk will win.
As a southpaw he also possesses that problem that orthodox fighters always face. And there arent too many southpaw heavyweights with the elite skills of Usyk lying around so getting sparring partners would have been hell for Fury. Not so for Usyk. He is elusive. Loves to fight on the back foot. And a superb counterpuncher.
He has perfected that Olympic boxing style where with effective aggression, you can do enough to sway the judges and rack up the points. And at 6ft 9in tall and 120kg+ there is just so much of Tyson Fury to hit.Yeah he’s a monster. For fans of anime he is a proper category five kaiju. But he’s no mindless knuckle-dragging, blob. For such a big man, he has the grace of a ballerina and the footwork of South Africa’s finest amapiano dancers.
An 85inch reach means opponents can get jabbed to death and not be able to do anything about it. Its like being stabbed with a spear or being shot by a sniper. He’s quick on his feet and possesses knockout power. Talk about being Fast and Furious. Since teaming up SugarHill Steward, Fury has become a more fearsome, aggressive opponent. Francis Ngannou would disagree of course but it is generally agreed that Fury did not take that fight seriously. Unlike this one. He knows everything is at stake for this one. He is also guaranteed a future place in the hall of fame but the winner of this fight will be placed on a special plinth in a pantheon of boxing demi-gods.
But to win this, Fury can not afford to follow Usyk into deep waters. He can not outbox Usyk. To win this he has to stop him. But how do you stop a man described as a relentless engine? How do you stop a man who has disproven the firmly held belief that size matters in heavyweight boxing? Daniel Dubois may have provided the answer. In his fight with Usyk, he scored what he and many regard was a legitimate knockdown with a thunderous shot to the body which was ruled as a low blow. There is talk about Usyk being soft to the body. In the amateurs he was dropped twice with bodyshots but he got up and outpointed his opponents. Fury will try and test that theory. But his height means he will have to literally and figuratively bring himself down to Usyk’s level. Which brings him into dangerous territory.
Anything within range of Usyk is a virtual kill zone. His lightning quick reflexes means he can engage and dance out of range with majestic fluidity. his is a proper 50:50 fight. Both men are skilled operators with movement and footwork aplenty. Fury survived Wilder’s best shots and ended up stopping the American. Those performances show that he can take anything Usyk dishes out and still finish him. Usyk survived Joshua twice and lived with Dereck Chisora. Both sizeably larger than him.
A fight like this is a boxing lover’s delight. Whatever happens, boxing wins. Both men are undefeated. Both men have proved doubters and haters wrong. As we say in boxing “Someone’s oh has got to go.” The big question is who? Who will win the greatest prize in world sport? It’s out of our hands now. It’s in Fury and Usyk’s. I’ve slept on it and I’ve come to a conclusion. Usyk to win on points. He has made a career out of going to peoples backyards and routing them. And proven doubters and haters wrong. I don’t expect any different.
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