Olympic silver medalist predicts winner of undisputed world heavyweight title bout

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An Olympic medalist who is also a familiar face in the contemporary heavyweight division said who he expects to win the coming undisputed world heavyweight title bout.

Lineal heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Oleksander Usyk will meet at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 17 to compete for the undisputed world heavyweight title.

Joe Joyce, an Olympic silver medalist who was once Usyk’s opponent aired his opinion on who will win the competition.

‘I was thinking Fury, because he is bigger, he can lean on him, make it messy and get the knockout that way,’ he said. ‘He throws less punches than Usyk, but he has got longer reach, he has got a fast jab and stuff.

‘Whereas Usyk is going to be closing the distance, he has got very good ring IQ and lateral movement, and he throws a lot of punches, so he could outpoint Fury with the amount of punches that he throws.’

Many usually say that a big figure like Fury who knows how to use his feet will always stay out of trouble in the ring from the likes of Usyk.

Apart from being the smaller and lighter guy, Usyk’s style does not consist of landing heavy blows. He is rather good at footwork and weaving dismantling combinations — something Fury will find a different terrain from the ones he is used to.

Another thing some experienced commenters say is that Usyk’s level of aggressiveness is behind the milestone he needs to attain before the match. He is portrayed as a skilled, intelligent and soft boxer to whom Fury would be a hard meat to chew.

Though Joyce went on to say he will be expecting Fury to win, he believed it would not be easy.

‘That is unless Fury can do something to stop him coming forward or make it awkward for him.

‘But Usyk is a very intelligent fighter, he is quick, throws a lot of punches, and he has got a good chin as well.

‘It’s a great fight, they are both at the top of their game and I am looking forward to seeing it.’

Joyce himself lost his WBO mandatory challenger to China’s Zheilei Zhang in two matches recently, but is planning a comeback.