Oleksandr Usyk would beat Wilder but lose to Joshua and Fury, says former world champ Bellew
TONY BELLEW has backed Oleksandr Usyk to take Deontay Wilder’s WBC title – but believes he’d struggle against Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
The undefeated Ukrainian makes his heavyweight bow against Chazz Witherspoon tomorrow after unifying the entire cruiserweight division.
Usyk has already outlined his ambition to face all of the big hitters and his intention to go for the Bronze Bomber’s belt first.
And Bellew, who retired after an eighth-round KO against Usyk last year, believes Wilder would be the easiest for “The Cat” to beat.
However, he thinks he would struggle to overcome Fury and Joshua due to their size.
Speaking to , the 36-year-old “Bomber” said: “Wilder [is the easiest to beat among the three choices], and that's an easy answer.
“Don't get me wrong, if Wilder lands on him then it's not going to end well for Usyk, but you can say that about any heavyweight who Wilder lands on.
“I just think [Joshua and Fury] are too big for him. Fundamentally, he's a much better boxer than all of them, and I include Fury in that, but he's just too small to compete with them for 12 rounds.
“I think the size of Fury and Joshua would be a massive advantage and I don't think Usyk could overcome it.”
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Bellew added: “For [Usyk's] weaknesses, I still think he's a little bit open and can be caught.
“Watching his amateur fights, there was always a reaction from him when he got caught clean, but no one has exploited that so far in the pros.
“His chin is up in the air sometimes and if that continues then it might get caught one time.”
