Oleksandr Usyk has faced Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua on two occasions each and has had his say in how a potential showdown between the pair might go.
The current heavyweight champion Usyk has spent a total of 48 rounds with both Fury and Joshua combined, meaning there might not be a better person to make a prediction.
The Ukranain’s last outing would be his highly anticipated rematch with Fury in December 2024 as he was able to replicate his win from earlier in the year.
As for Joshua, Usyk faced the Englishman in back-to-back fights in 2021 and 2022, earning a unanimous decision in their first bout, and a split decision in their second meeting.
With the same pairing of results against the two British heavyweights, Usyk has given his insight into the potential bout.
Oleksandr Usyk gives his new prediction for Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua
Usyk would be in London on Saturday night for the Ring Magazine awards, where he would pick up the male fighter of the year award, among others.
Speaking at the ceremony, Usyk was asked by IFL TV who he thought would emerge the victor in a fight between Fury and Joshua.
In typical Usyk fashion, he gave a rather short and blunt response, “My friend Greedy Belly,” reffering to the nickname he has previously used for Fury.
However, Usyk was not entirely concrete in his decision, “Maybe, I don’t know. Maybe Joshua.”
The hesitation from Usyk does make sense looking back on his predicition from just weeks ago.
Speaking to Boxing King Media in December following his Fury win, Uysk’s then-prediction was that Joshua would emerge the victor.
Usyk also revealed that Fury gave him the tougher fight between the pair, however, seems unsure of who may win a potential fight between the former champions.
There has been no offical announcement for the bout as of now, but Eddie Hearn has reserved a stadium in England for Fury vs Joshua in the summer, according to the promoter himself.
Oleksandr Usyk open for Daniel Dubois rematch
In the same interview with IFL TV, Usyk was asked about his feelings towards a potential Daniel Dubois rematch.
Usyk and Dubois first met in 2023, with the Ukranian winning via ninth-round knockout. However, Dubois is now the holder of IBF World Heavyweight Championship, meaning a rematch would be necesary if Usyk wanted to unifiy the divisions once again.
When asked if he wanted to compete with Dubois again, Usyk said, “No problem. I’m ready right now!”
Dubois will fight Joseph Parker on a stacked card in Saudi Arabia on February 22nd. Should Dubois emerge as the winner, Usyk seems like a likely candidate to be his next opponent.
Usyk is currently not scheduled to fight, with it being understood that he aims to return to boxing in the summer time.