Oleksandr Usyk used a strange metaphor when comparing the strength of opponents Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, even calling his most recent opponent “greedy”. The Ukrainian giant defeated the “Gypsy King” in a decision in May, becoming the first unified world heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
In an exciting match in Riyadh, the pair were separated by split points decision with “The Cat” emerging victorious after the match dragged to the end. The damage appeared to have been done to Fury’s unblemished professional record in round nine when the Briton was pushed against the ropes after his opponent unleashed a series of brutal punches.
From there, Fury was saved by the bell and dragged through the final round before the judges decided the fight in Usyk’s favor. After winning the WBC title that night, he became the second fighter this century to unify the title in this weight class and the first in the four-belt era.
Oleksandr Usyk will rematch Tyson Fury at the end of 2024
Now, Usyk has spoken out about the differences between Fury and Joshua – who he has defeated twice. Speaking on the show Three Knockdown Rule, Usyk made a series of extraordinary comments on this issue.
“Anthony Joshua has a classy boxing style. It’s like carbonated water, when you open it without shaking it’s good. If you shake it, it explodes. Sparkling water is Tyson Fury and still water is Anthony Joshua.”
However, when talking about his most formidable opponent, Usyk did not choose any of them, but added: “I would say toughest fight, yes, but I think hardest punch no. Derek Chisora, very difficult. With Derek, I don’t remember whether it was left hand or right hand, but I blocked it and it was like a baseball bat. Very dangerous.”
