On May 18, the major Ring of Fire boxing tournament will be held in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), the main event of which will be the fight between undefeated and star heavyweights Tyson Fury and Alexander Usik. The boxers will determine the first absolute world heavyweight champion of the 21st century. Fury has the WBC championship belt, Usik has the WBA, WBO and IBF titles. We spoke before the fight with Vitaly Slanov, one of the most famous Russian trainers. He broke down the upcoming fight literally piece by piece.
Less than a week left until the big tournament:
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Ring of Fire: Four Belts and a Legacy. The fight between Usik and Fury will determine the biggest. LIVE
– What are your expectations from the fight between Usik and Fury? Is this the main battle of the 21st century?– I wouldn’t say that something like that will be there. Purely for titles, yes. But I don’t expect it to be like Holyfield vs. Bowe. Usik and Fury are highly skilled boxers. But they are not spectacular. There will be pragmatic work. Tyson Fury sometimes puts on a show: he falls, he gets up, he falls, he falls, he gets up. There was such a fight with Cunningham, there was a similar fight with Wilder. There was intrigue during these fights. I don’t expect that here. God forbid we make mistakes.
– How did you feel with the first postponement of the fight? Could this have been a planned action?– No. I know this boxer who beat Tyson. He was in our camp. I know him well, I saw him after that. He was exactly what he was. There was no plan for this. This happens often in boxing.
Tyson Fury – Alexander Usyk
Photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
– Maybe we should have reduced the load beforehand and eliminated such dangerous combat sessions?– We will no longer do anything risky in 12 days. I think they do too. This didn’t happen a week before the fight. That was before. At this level no one will take risks. I think this happened long before the fight.
– Who benefits most from the transfer?– The fight will be noticed. Although it confuses them both. You adjust step by step. You have to rethink some things. When you are preparing for a certain date, everything focuses on it. And two months… We have to reset everything and start again. The fight will be noticed.
– How do you assess the boxers’ chances before this fight?– I wouldn’t give preference to anyone. Usik, as we have seen, can adapt to any rival. It all depends on what shape Tyson Fury will be in. He sometimes finds himself in a disgusting state. And with a frankly weak opponent he makes a tortured fight. And sometimes he comes out in great shape and does everything great.
For example, the fight with Ngannou. Well, that’s not possible. What kind of fight is this? Ngannou is a downloader, a healthy guy. But you are a star. Focus the fight well.
Tyson Fury – Alexander Usyk
Photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images
– So Joshua came out with Ngannou and showed that it was really necessary?– With Sasha Ngannou he would have completely disgraced himself. She would never hit him once. He would be funny. In a division of 20 people he would have been destroyed. Gassiev would have knocked him out with the first blow.
– Now let’s move on to the analysis of the battle itself. What strengths do you see in Usyk?– Magnificent legs and monstrous resistance and speed. Few people can withstand the highest pace in this weight category. He practically never gets tired. The 12 rounds at maximum pace. Everything is synchronized: arms, legs. And always in excellent shape. I’ve never seen him enter a fight in bad shape.
– Do you think he will be able to knock out Fury?– Usik is not a knockout fighter. If he wins early it is because he tires the opponents of him. And in the last rounds they are impressed. And he’s already finishing. But this is not the type of fighter who will go out and knock out. If there is an early start, it will only be in the later rounds. Still, I think it will be a points victory.
Tyson Fury – Alexander Usyk
Photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images
– Usik posts photos with hamburgers and talks about his desire to gain weight. Can he really take that step?“That’s not why Usik wins.” You don’t need to dial. If you accelerate, you will lose speed. It will definitely not become a knockout. He will not win because of power issues. You need to maintain speed, mobility and rhythm. It’s just a game to liven up the fight, to spice things up.
– Speaking of weight. Fury talked about his incredible weight gain. Could this affect you during the fight?– I don’t think I can lift 40 kg. 20-25, enough. But 40 is clearly an exaggeration. Maybe he’s just trying to promote his fight. Everything is possible. But this also affects preparation and well-being. This is a clear exaggeration.
The Gypsy King uses risky techniques to win:
“I lost 68 kg in four weeks.” Studying Tyson Fury’s Unique Weight Cuts
– What deficiencies can be identified in Usik?– There is no single strike. And for a heavyweight this is important. They prepare themselves psychologically in a different way for a boxer like that. If a boxer is a strong puncher, he is feared at first. Like Sonny Liston, opponents were knocked out of fear even before the fight. The same thing happened with young Mike Tyson. He also dealt blood-curdling blows to his opponents. It’s hard to tune in to Joshua.
And Usyk still has some moments left. I think he didn’t win the fight with Chisora. And with Dubois, the referee could stop the fight and deliver a knockout. It was very controversial. If the judge had stopped, everyone would have said it was correct. 90% would approve of the referee’s decision. And over time it is forgotten.
– Eduard Kravtsov spoke about Usik’s physical weakness. Do you agree that this detail exists?– When Usik boxed with Gassiev… Murat quickly approached and punched him in the liver. Alejandro immediately: “Stop, oh-oh-oh.” The judge fell into the trap. Then a second time. He stopped again, pretended again, showed. And somehow he does it instinctively. In this I agree with Eduard Viktorovich. You can say what you want. But Mayweather resorts to this all the time. And that doesn’t make it any less great.
More recently, Dubois clearly demonstrated this weakness of Alexander:
“Usyk’s Achilles heel”. We study the main problem of the Ukrainian boxer.
– Now let’s move on to Fury’s strengths. What are the advantages of it?– Its dimensions are 206 cm height, weight. The dimensions are large. But at the same time it is very mobile and sensitive. The reaction is pretty good considering his weight and height. But it cannot be said that there are problems. Fast, sensitive, strong character. He showed it in many fights. Especially in the first fight with Wilder. He barely stood up. The judge could have given a knockout, Fury was down. But he got up and won the end of the round. I didn’t avoid a fight. We have to give him credit for being strong-willed and taking a hit. Boy with a strong, brave character.
– Is this also indicated by the way you got rid of your addictions?– I do not know the details of these dependencies. Maybe they weren’t there. Sometimes people slander themselves.
– What disadvantages of Tyson Fury can we highlight?– They hit him. And even short fighters do this. Cunningham himself failed him. It was a sharp fall. Fury has moments during the fight where he isn’t particularly focused. How could you be knocked down by Ngannou? This is disrespectful to boxing. I felt it like a personal insult. And Joshua has taken boxing to the place it needs to be. An athlete can’t come and beat everyone. He immediately took on the fight with the great champion. It shouldn’t have been like this. But Fury underestimated and lowered the level of boxing.
Tyson Fury was knocked down in a fight with Francis Ngannou
Photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
– How should this fight develop stylistically?– Nobody will rush. They never did this. There will be tactical play throughout the battle. The mustache needs to pick up the pace, stretch it. I have a drawing in my head. I think no one will take risks. They will try to win five or six rounds. If Usik fails to win, he will still try to squeeze and swing him to the end. And if it doesn’t work out for Tyson Fury, he can go all out and take his chances in the second half. Fury has longer arms, but Usik’s class is the tallest. With each opponent he came up with something new. The style doesn’t change, but it fits differently.
– Usik involved Vladimir Klitschko in the preparation. How can you help?– Can provide moral support. Yes, and it has dimensions. He is a great boxer. 196 cm, exclusive. If he stays in good shape, Usik will find it useful to train with him. But I don’t think he’s in the corner. There is a team there. And break something and add something… A person should suggest in the corner. Maximum two. And a new person will only get in the way.
It was Fury who “finished off” the Steel Hammer’s career:
Usik even took Klitschko as an assistant. But Vladimir is unlikely to be useful against the gypsies.
– What if you still try to name the winner?– If Tyson Fury is fit, he will win on points. They are not knockouts. I don’t expect a knockout. Only Tyson Fury can lose by knockout. If Usyk pushes him with his rhythm. But I don’t think Alexander is taking any risks.
