Oleksandr Usyk has revealed he will use new workouts to prepare for his undisputed fight with Tyson Fury.
The Ukrainian heavyweight retained his status as unified world champion last year with a second consecutive win over Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia. Now Usyk is seeking the biggest prize of them all and is awaiting news on a potential undisputed title clash with Fury, which is touted to take place on April 29 in London.
Both Usyk and Fury have traded verbal barbs on social media over the showdown, but no breakthrough has been made in contract talks. Despite the uncertainty surrounding Usyk's next move, the Ukrainian star has already revealed preparations are well underway to dethrone the 'Gypsy King'.
Speaking on The Overlap in partnership with Sky Bet, Usyk said: "There will be changes in the strategy for the fight against Tyson, but I’ll continue to prepare in the same way. I’ll do lots of training, swimming, running, and boxing. There will be new workouts [as well], because Tyson is slightly different.
"He is big and tall, so his combinations and boxing style will be different. “If a person is bigger than me, it doesn’t mean that they’re stronger. If they have longer arms, it doesn’t mean that it will be an advantage. I’ve been boxing since I was 15 years old. I’ve heard many opinions from people that I know well, and from people who I’ve met just once.
"They kept telling me that I shouldn’t box, they told me I wouldn’t become an Olympic champion, or a world champion, and that I shouldn’t have switched to the heavyweight division. Personally, I keep praying and move forward. I don’t worry about whether I will reach my destination, like a samurai, he doesn’t have an aim, but he has his path, and I have my path too."
Who do you think will win - Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk? Let us know in the comments section below
Usyk has been dismissive of Fury's questioning of his size throughout their rivalry, and stood watching with steely grit when Fury heckled him during their confrontation late last year. A fight is far from being concrete however, with a potential Middle East clash in Saudi Arabia already having collapsed over issues with the venue.
In a fresh update on the state of affairs, Fury's promoter Frank Warren has insisted that he can only provide what financial restrictions allow to make the fight happen. “We’re still none the wiser,” Warren told talkSPORT. “You need the agreement of both boxers to make it happen, and at the moment we haven’t got that. I have a pot and can only pay what’s in it. If it’s not enough money, then it won’t happen.”
