“I’m happy for him, but then I’ve seen him fight and he’s a left-hander who just fights real hard, doesn’t give up, always in shape. Fury has proven to be a good fighter, but sometimes he doesn’t take care of himself, when you let yourself go, body-wise and stuff like that, it can affect you. I just think that Usyk has the mindset, a great mindset pretty much just like mine… He won’t give up for nothing. But we will see. I really don’t like to choose which fighter will win, because anything could happen in this fight. They are both great fighters.”
For Lewis, the changing of the guard brings strong feelings. “Look, if I were around now, absolutely I’d still be the best, but if Fury does this, I think he has to fight Anthony Joshua. He needs to fight him because it’s a British thing and I’m sure the British fans want to see that match-up. Throughout history that’s always been the plan, there’s always a big British fight between two enormous heavyweights.
“I think it will still be a good fight. Fury’s elusive, he’s always going to be a difficult guy to box, especially when he’s in shape and focused. I think Usyk’s going to use his mobility and move erratically around the ring, I think Tyson will jump and jive, feint a lot, and try to get Usyk out of his game, get Usyk to commit and take advantage of him.”
Without explicitly saying it, Lewis appears to lean towards a Fury victory. He adds: “But the bigger picture is that I’ll be delighted that there’s another one [undisputed champion] because I believe records are there to be broken.”
Watch Fury v Usyk, ‘Ring of Fire’ live from Riyadh on TNT Sports Box Office on Saturday 18 May. For more info visit: tntsports.co.uk/boxoffice
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