Fury vs Usyk Betting Preview & Tips

On a weekend chock full of high quality sporting action, this is the main attraction. The undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World will be up for grabs as Tyson Fury takes on Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia. Arguably the two most technically proficient boxers in the division, this is an intriguing contest and the bookmakers almost make it a coin flick. Who’s going to come out on top? Find out in our Fury vs Usyk betting preview.

Fury vs Usyk – The Tale Of The Tape

Tyson Fury

The Gypsy King looked more like a clown prince in his last fight against UFC star Francis Ngannou. It was clear to see in the build up that Fury had not taken his opponent seriously and he weighed in at 277lbs, the heaviest weight of his career. This time, he has come in over a stone lighter so he hasn’t taken any shortcuts.

Ngannou, who had never boxed professionally before, knocked Fury down with a left hand in the third round and he more than held his own with the Champion. One of the ringside judges thought Ngannou did enough to win the fight by a round, but the other two judges disagreed and Fury maintained his unbeaten record with a split decision victory.

Trimmer & Fitter

If the same version of Fury turns up in Riyadh on Saturday night, he has no chance here. However, he looks trimmer and fitter than he has done for some time and there is no doubt he is taking this fight seriously.

Fury has the size advantage and the weight advantage but for the first time in his career, he may not have the boxing IQ advantage. The question is, can he make those areas of superiority count against the slick and crafty Ukrainian.

Oleksandr Usyk

One of the greatest amateurs of all time, Oleksandr Usyk has taken to the pro ranks like a duck to water. An Olympic gold medallist at London 2012, he has racked up a record of 21-0 since turning professional back in 2013.

Usyk started out as a cruiserweight and it took him ten fights to win the WBO World title. In 2018 he unified the division, beating Murat Gassiev on points to add the WBC, WBA and IBF belts to his collection. His last fight at that weight saw him destroy Tony Bellew and since then, he’s moved up the heavyweight ranks.

Dubois

His two signature wins came against the brave but technically limited Anthony Joshua. If he were coming into this fight on the back of those performances, I’d really fancy him to beat Fury. However, it is impossible to ignore what happened in his last fight against Daniel Dubois.

There were signs that Joshua was causing him a few issues with body shots in their rematch. Dubois must have noticed and he put Usyk down with a crunching shot to the mid-section in the fifth round.

Usyk was badly hurt and he wouldn’t have beaten the count, but the referee called it a low blow. It was right on the belt line but Usyk had his shorts high so he was a very lucky boy to come away with the win. If he does have a soft centre, Fury will be targeting it on Saturday night.

Fury vs Usyk – The Verdict

How this fight unfolds will depend on Tyson Fury’s approach. Will he fight on the front foot like he did when producing his best ever performances vs Deontay Wilder? If so, we could be in for an explosive night. He’ll either overpower Usyk physically and stop him, possibly with a body shot, or else he might walk on to a big Usyk counter.

However, there is also the chance that he tries to box Usyk and ‘outskill’ him. If he opts for this approach, Usyk has the technique, footwork and nous to beat him on points. That being said, Usyk has weighed in at the heaviest weight of his career so the worry for him will be whether his stamina can hold up for twelve rounds carrying that extra timber.

So, where does the value lie? I think now, it is definitely with Fury to win by stoppage. He hasn’t really got one punch knockout power but he hits hard and given his boxing intelligence, he’s surely going to target Usyk to the gut after seeing what Dubois did to him.

My money is going on Fury to win by KO/TKO/DQ at odds of 4.60 on the Betfair Exchange. Hopefully it’s a brilliant fight and may the best man win.

Fury vs Usyk Betting Tip: back Fury to win by KO/TKO @ 4.60 Betfair Exchange

-DaveStevos