MORECAMBE, England (AP) — For Tyson Fury, size will count for everything in his fight with Oleksandr Usyk to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 2000.
Usyk, a former cruiserweight, might be giving away around 50 pounds (22.7 kilograms) to Fury, who — at 6-foot-9 (2.09 meters) — is 6 inches (15cm) taller and has a bigger reach of 7 inches (nearly 18cm).
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Fury complimented Usyk’s boxing skills but said the size difference between the two unbeaten fighters would be too big for the Ukrainian to overcome in the May 18 bout in Saudi Arabia.
“We have weight divisions for a reason,” Fury said. “I’ve studied every cruiserweight there has ever lived and when the cruiserweights step up to fight the big boys, usually they are found wanting.
“You can beat the average big ones but you can’t beat the elite big ones. Size is what really matters.”
Fury’s trainer, SugarHill Steward, supported his fighter’s argument.
“He is the bigger man … When you have a smaller man with the same skills, the big man is going to win all day,” Steward said.
The fight was initially scheduled to take place on Feb. 17 but was postponed two weeks before the bout after Fury sustained a cut above his right eye during a sparring session.
Fury, the WBC champion, said the rearrangement has allowed to get him in great shape for the fight against Usyk, the WBA, WBO and IBF belt-holder.
“At first I was a little depressed, for the first day or so, but afterward, like all things in life, I realized God’s timing is impeccable, perfect,” said Fury, who was speaking in the northern English town of Morecambe, near where he lives.
“It’s not late, it’s not early, it’s bang on time. It wasn’t my time to fight then, but it is going to be my time on May 18.”
Fury said it is “my time, my destiny, my era and my generation.”
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