...if he’s not firing on all cylinders Usyk will win
Key Headlines:
Oleksandr Usyk has the skills to beat Tyson Fury but will need “career best performance”
“Slow, awkward, stiff” - Francis Ngannou looked “terrible” and like a “novice” on the pads
Saudi Arabia can become the “Las Vegas of the middle east”
Canelo would “maul” Chris Eubank Jr - It would be “Saturday league v Premier League"
In a wide ranging interview with boxing betting site bestgamblingsites.com, former world champion Carl Froch backs Tyson Fury to beat both Francis Ngannou and Oleksandr Usyk, suggest Wladimir Klitchko as a sparring partner for Usyk, calls Saudi Arabia the future Las Vegas of the middle east and advises Eubank Jr to steer clear of Canelo Alvarez
What do you think of the Fury-Usyk announcement one month before Fury-Ngannou?
CF: “The announcement is perfect timing. What Frank Warren has realised is that Fury-Ngannou does not appeal to the proper boxing audience, it’s more for the crossover Misfits audience, so by announcing Fury-Usyk is definitely happening, all of sudden everyone's tails are wagging and ears have pricked up, and they're now all probably going to tune into the Ngannou fight on the back of that because now there’s interest in what Fury's looking like. It’s perfect timing for the announcement and the sceptics will say, “what if Fury gets injured?”. Listen, this is a f****** sparring session, probably the easiest spar he's ever had. I don't care that Ngannou can punch, a mule can kick really hard, but he’s never going to be able to line it up. Fury’s not going to be worried about getting hit by that monstrous punch because I've seen Ngannou on the pads and he looks terrible. He looks like what I'd expect a zero fight novice to look like; slow, awkward, stiff - how is he going to get near Fury? He's going to get his head absolutely peppered off.”
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How does Fury-Usyk play out?
CF: “It's something we needed - an undisputed heavyweight champion. F****** brilliant. Fair play to everybody involved. I think Frank Warren has done a fantastic job getting it over the line and I'm really pleased, not only as a fan but for the sport of boxing, and I hope it happens. I'm a bit sceptical that it's going to happen a month or so after the Ngannou fight, but then again it will probably be that easy for Fury to beat Ngannou - he’ll just use it as a sparring session - and then maybe he does go into the Usyk fight straight after.”
“I can make a case of Usyk beating Fury, he has the skills and the ability and he's used to fighting bigger guys since he entered the heavyweight division, he's thicker set and he’s put a bit of weight on, and he seems to be able to hold his own. But he is getting older and slowing down a little bit, but so is Fury, so he could outbox, outwork, and outskill him.
Also is Fury at his best? He puts weight on between fights. He’s carrying a lot of belly fat around, he’s got love handles, and if Fury is not firing on all cylinders, and Usyk turns up and puts on a career best performance, Usyk will win and win comfortably, but I just think it’s going to be taken seriously by both of them - and a good Fury beats a good Usyk in a good very close fight and an awkward fight. I think Fury nullifies his work and ties him up. I’m not so sure if he gets the stoppage. I just think that the size of Fury will be a problem. I don't think Usyk can make that range up against the 6 '9 Fury.”
Who can Usyk bring in to mimic Fury’s size?
CF: “To prepare for Fury, Usyk needs someone 6 '6" minimum. Wladimir Klitschko would have been a good sparring partner for Usyk, someone world class who can give you hard sparring and with that height and reach, but there’s nobody out there as good as Fury and there’s nobody really like Fury with his size and weight, so you can’t replicate Fury.”
What do you think about another super fight going to Saudi?
CF: “The Saudis are paying big money, so I understand why athletes are going to Saudi. At the moment they don’t have a rich boxing history like Madison Square Garden or Las Vegas, but the Saudis are doing a great job building these venues and putting on these events. And I think eventually they'll get there because the money they’re spending on the stadiums and events, they are getting better and better. Not just boxing; LIV golf, horse racing, Formula One. They're spending a lot of money and they're making it special. They'll eventually become the best sporting destination in the world, but at the minute it's still growing, it's still getting there. In the future, Saudi Arabia can become the Las Vegas of the middle east, in their own way."
Eubank Jr called out Canelo over the weekend, thoughts?
CF: “Eubank Jr just wants paying doesn’t he? You can't put Eubank Jr anywhere near Canelo. It's a mismatch. Eubank got blown away by Liam Smith, how will deal with the size and strength of Canelo? And then the experience - he’s just not going to be able to do it. Canelo is an absolute ferocious fighting machine. He's ridiculously experienced at world level. The only times Chris Eubank Jr stepped into world level he lost twice to Billy Joe Saunders and George Groves, so he can’t step up to Canelo’s level. It’s Saturday league against Premier League. Canelo would smash Eubank to bits, as soon as he gets in range he'll absolutely maul him.”
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