Oleksandr Usyk has beaten both Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury twice, giving him a unique insight into how the all-British mega fight will play out should it happen this year.
Joshua now trains alongside Usyk and will have his first proper assignment under the new set-up – excluding a bout with Jake Paul last year – on July 25 when he faces Kristan Prenga.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Usyk backed his new training partner to win but had equal praise for Fury, who he calls ‘dangerous.’
“We will help AJ in training. My opinion is AJ [beats] Tyson Fury. Fury is an unbelievable fighter. A very dangerous guy. But, I look at how Anthony works and how he has changed. I like Fury, this is my greedy belly best friend … he’s an amazing fighter, but I want more Anthony to win. I think he deserves it.”
After returning with a win over Arslanbek Makhmudov in April, Fury has made it clear that he intends to fight in August to further prepare himself for the Joshua clash.
As all three men close in on retirement, ‘The Gypsy King’ still wants a trilogy with Usyk following two points losses. He has, however, stated that he will only sign to fight the Ukrainian if it takes place in the UK or the US, believing he will not get a fair rub of the green if they return to Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Usyk takes on kickboxing icon Rico Verhoeven this weekend in Egypt. Should he win as expected, he will be ordered to face WBC mandatory challenger, Agit Kabayel.
