Highlights

• Former professional boxer Tony Bellew has explained why Tyson Fury can't be compared to Lennox Lewis or Muhammad Ali.
• The former cruiserweight champion, who recently didn't hold back in his assessment of 'The Gypsy King,' believes Fury would never have beaten Lewis.
• A win over Usyk in Saudi Arabia will cement the Brit's legacy and go down as one of the best ever.

Tony Bellew has explained why Tyson Fury can't be compared to Lennox Lewis or Muhammad Ali. 'The Gypsy King' is preparing for the toughest test of his career this weekend against Oleksandr Usyk - which is set to take place in Saudi Arabia.

The winner of this fight will become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lewis in 1999 when he beat Evander Holyfield.

Fury struggled, having been knocked down in his last fight against Francis Ngannou before going on to secure a razor-thin decision. As for Usyk, the Ukrainian knocked out Daniel Dubois in his last fight back in August.

A win over the Ukrainian heavyweight will see Fury etch his name in history and be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Lewis, Ali and Mike Tyson.

Tony Bellew Believes Fury Can't be Compared to Lewis or Ali

The Brit believes Ali is the greatest heavyweight of all time

Ahead of the showcase in Saudi Arabia, Bellew told BBC Sport that Fury would be the best in his era with a win over Usyk, but not in British history.

The former cruiserweight champion, who recently didn't hold back in his assessment of 'The Gypsy King,' believes Fury would never have beaten Lewis.

"Fury is undefeated but there is a case for picking the right opponents at the right time. If he does beat Usyk, he is the best of his era but not the best in British history - there is no way he is better than Lennox Lewis.

"Lewis had everything: tactical brain, knockout punch, every shot in the armoury. He was the ultimate pugilist, a proper athlete in the heavyweight division. There is no chance Fury would have beaten Lewis."

While Bellew believes Frank Warren and Bob Arum are doing their best to promote Fury, he insists they shouldn't be comparing 'The Gypsy King' to Ali.

"Promoters Bob Arum and Frank Warren have compared Fury to Muhammad Ali. They’re just doing their jobs but, please, stop it.

Ali is the greatest heavyweight of all time. He was a man who fought against a whole country for what he believed in and his people,'' he said. "The man is the greatest sportsman of any generation and, in my opinion, the greatest human being ever."

Lennox Lewis Wants Tyson Fury to Achieve 3 Goals Before Retirement

The lineal heavyweight champion can still strengthen his legacy, says Lewis

Regardless of Fury's result against Usyk, he'll go down as one of the best to ever step foot inside the ring. In terms of raw achievements, though, Lewis claims that Fury still has some way to go to better his own achievements.

Lewis retired in 2003, having defeated ring legends such as Holyfield and Mike Tyson before he eventually hung up his gloves. He told Boxing Scene: "Once I was undisputed champion, I could rest. I even waited for [Mike] Tyson so there will be no argument about who will be the best in this era. I didn’t want anyone to be sitting in the barbers having an argument saying, ‘Who was the best? Tyson, Holyfield or Lewis? I ended my career showing the whole world that I am the best of that era."

According to Lewis, the first step on Fury's road to immortality should be to defeat Usyk this weekend. However, even if he is successful, he must then repeat the dose in their contractually obligated rematch to leave no doubt as to the better man is.

"If it is a fight that lasts the full 12 rounds, and we are seeing some great boxing and great fighting and great tactics being used then we would love to see it again. To see if the other guy wasn’t right, didn’t do the right thing or if there is a way for him to come back."

However, even if Fury outlasts Usyk twice, Lewis still believes there is one final hurdle that Tyson needs to overcome - in the form of his arch-rival Anthony Joshua.

"He does need to fight him [Joshua] because it is a British thing. I’m sure the British fans want to see that matchup. Throughout history that has always been the plan. There’s always a big British fight between two enormous heavyweights."

If Fury can deliver three straight victories against the toughest competition of the modern era, his legacy will be completely secure.