By Kleberly Mendoza
04 Nov 2024, 18:00 PM EST
Bernard Hopkins, partner of Golden Boy Promotions, believes that Oleksandr Usyk will repeat his victory over Tyson Fury, but this time due to an arrest in the rematch for the unified heavyweight championship on December 21 in Saudi Arabia.
In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Hopkins explained that Fury is not a great heavyweight and Usyk He will take advantage of his talent to win most of the fight until the referee decides to end it out of mercy.
“No. No. (the fight will not be different this time). I think that the smallest guy is actually the big guy in heart and talent… I think Usyk has his number, and I think he’s not a big heavyweight, which I think helps him in this fight in particular,” he said.
“I just think he has the IQ that Tyson Fury will not be able to maintain or resist as time or rounds go by. I like Usyk, possibly due to stoppage at the end”And not because of a punch, I think it will simply be a decision of mercy from the referee,” he added.
According to sports experts, Oleksandr Usyk He is the favorite to win the rematch with Tyson Fury and they advise the British not to get into the ring again with the now unified heavyweight champion, since he vacated the International Boxing Federation (IBF) belt.
In the first confrontation last May, Usyk he started losing the fight with Fury, who kept him at bay in the first half due to his great reach, size, mobility in the ring and with body blows.
The Ukrainian He gained confidence in the second part of the fight and in the ninth he almost knocked out the English fighter. After the 12 rounds, two judges saw Usyk as the winner and he became undisputed heavyweight champion, a feat that had not been achieved for 19 years, since the last to do so was Lennox Lewis.
Shortly after the fight, Turki AlAlshikh – president of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia – officially announced that the rematch between the Ukrainian and the British for the unified heavyweight championship would take place at the end of the year.
Tyson Fury, 35, was defeated for the first time in his career by the Ukrainian in a unification duel. The Gipsy King now He has a record of 34 victories, 24 by knockout, one setback and one draw.
For his part, Oleksandr Usyk, 37, He was crowned undisputed champion for the second time in his career, but this time at heavyweight, after a close fight with Fury in Saudi Arabia. The Ukrainian fighter maintains his immaculate record after 22 fights, 14 of them on the fast track.
Keep reading:
· Oleksandr Usyk’s former coach predicts new victory over Fury
· Roy Jones Jr. predicts the winner of the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury
· Gvozdyk predicts rematch against Oleksandr Usyk will be worse for Tyson Fury