Tony Bellew fears Oleksandr Usyk could be 'failed' in an undisputed heavyweight showdown with Tyson Fury.
Bellew is confident that the Ukrainian will beat the Gypsy King “easily” as long as the scorecard accurately reflects the match.
Usyk and Fury will put the belt on the line in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 18 in the first undisputed heavyweight bout in 25 years.
Boxing fans were left waiting after the bout, originally scheduled for February 16, was postponed after Fury suffered a cut above his eye while training.
Boxing News: Tony Bellew fears Oleksandr Usyk could 'fall' against Tyson Fury
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Fury looks in great form compared to his last fight, where he almost suffered a shock loss to boxing novice Francis Ngannou.
He lost to Ngannou on the floor in the third round, and many felt the former mixed martial arts star deserved the judge's decision.
Bellew, a former cruiserweight champion, believes Usyk has too much on his opponent and wants the right outcome.
He told Spinbet: “Hats off to Tyson Fury. He looks in great shape but I still think he's going to lose to Oleksandr Usyk so that doesn't change my mind.”
“I think he's losing on points, but unless Usyk doesn't let the scorecards betray him, he'll win easily.
“Technically speaking, Tyson Fury has always struggled against smaller fighters and is scary as a counterpuncher. If he's on the back foot against Fury, he's going to lose.”
Bellew is no stranger to being knocked out by Usyk in his last professional fight in 2018.
He admits Fury will be a different style of opponent to those the 37-year-old has faced before.
Bellew added: “Both players know what's on the table, they're both well prepared and they've got a lot of footage to study each other.
“I don't think Tyson Fury is that into the visual aspect or studying fighters, but I think Usyk is.
“He pays attention to every detail and leaves no stone unturned.
“The most difficult thing for Usyk is to prepare for a player like Fury, because he is a unicorn and there has never been anyone like him before.
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Boxing News: Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk to fight on May 18th
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“At 6ft 8in, 20 stone, he moves like a light heavyweight, has very good footwork, doesn't have the best shot, but then again, Usyk isn't the biggest puncher…
“But knowing Usyk, they’re going to dabble in everything and know what they’re getting themselves into.”
Bellew believes Usyk's victory over Fury would be the “greatest run” in boxing history.
“It's going to be an interesting fight, but I don't think it's going to be fun to watch, but I think Oleksandr Usyk will snatch the win,” he said.
Boxing News: Oleksandr Usyk hasn't fought since defeating Daniel Dubois
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“I hope he doesn't go down, but if he does make a decision, I believe it's the best run I've ever seen from a fighter.
“He's done every champion go into their own backyard and unify the division. He's done it through the cruiserweight division and unified it.
“He came into the heavyweight champion’s (London’s Anthony Joshua) backyard and beat him on his own turf.
“He will beat Tyson Fury against all odds in Saudi Arabia. Let's talk about an underdog story.”
