Fury hits at Usyk for being ‘too small to be in heavyweight’

Tyson Fury took some jabs outside the ring at Oleksandr Usyk, saying the Ukrainian lacks the physical stature to contend with him in their upcoming undisputed heavyweight world title clash.

Fury, the reigning WBC champion at 35, will face Usyk, 36, who holds the WBA, WBO, and IBF belts, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 18.

Asserting that size plays a crucial role in heavyweight matchups, Fury remarked that former cruiserweight champion Usyk will fall short against him.

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“You can beat the average big ones but you can’t beat the elite big ones,” he stated, highlighting the significance of weight divisions.

Usyk, a former undisputed cruiserweight champion, ascended to the unified heavyweight throne after defeating Anthony Joshua in 2021. Fury emphasized the importance of size in boxing, citing examples of cruiserweight champions who struggled upon transitioning to heavyweight.

The rescheduled bout, originally set for February, was postponed due to Fury’s injury. Despite acknowledging Usyk’s credentials, Fury remained confident in his own abilities, dismissing the notion that he could be defeated.