Fan-favourite fighter James Toney has laid out his prediction for a rumoured heavyweight title showdown between Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder, believing that the contest will not last the distance.
Wilder has found himself on the verge of an unlikely shot at a return to the throne, despite losing four of his last six contests and defeating only Robert Helenius and Tyrrell Herndon – two heavyweights that are not considered to be near title contention.
Still, his previous success as a five-year WBC heavyweight world champion has led to his name being called by the reigning and unified heavyweight ruler Usyk, who hopes to secure wins against the biggest names of his era before hanging up the gloves.
Another man that once competed in the heavyweight division was Toney, who also reigned as a three-division world champion at middleweight, super middleweight and cruiserweight in his career.
Ahead of the touted clash, ‘Lights Out’ Toney told ESNEWS that he is predicting an upset win for ‘The Bronze Bomber’.
“I’m going to tell you right now, if that [fight] is what happens, Wilder is going to knock him out.
“Usyk is a good fighter, but he ain’t prepared for someone who is going to go throw punches at him like that. He ain’t fought nobody like that yet.”
Some fans believed that the Usyk vs. Wilder clash could take place in San Francisco in July, but Wilder’s manager Shelly Finkel has revealed that there has been no discussions with Ed Pereira, CEO of iVisit Boxing, as of yet.
