Mike Tyson Supports Fury Defeat Oleksandr Usyk

JAKARTA Former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson backed Tyson Fury to beat Ukrainian champion Oleksandr Usyk in a heavyweight title unification duel early next year.

The rulers of all heavyweight division belts, Fury and Usyk, are scheduled to fight for the undisputed world champion on February 17, 2024 in Saudi Arabia.

Fury, the WBC belt holder, began to doubt being able to win in the duel against Usyk after a result he recently got during a cross-disciplinary duel against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

However, Mike Tyson was reluctant to make Fury's result against Ngannou a benchmark. He said he champions Fury to beat Usyk to the ground.

"I'm looking forward to that fight (Fury against Usyk). It will be an interesting duel. I'm going to Tyson Fury because I think he will beat Usyk," Tyson was quoted as saying by Boxing Scene.

"I have to choose Fury. I think he is the best fighter in the world, especially in the heavyweight division. Great fighter lost, great fighter performed poorly. However, that didn't stop them from becoming great fighters," he added.

Fury and Usyk were originally scheduled for a duel in December 2023. However, their fight ended up having to be postponed after Fury struggled to stop Ngannou through separate decisions at the end of last month.

At that time Fury was torn down by his opponent in the third round. According to several parties, the British champion did not deserve victory in the duel.

"Hey, we shouldn't be focused on what Fury did against Ngannou. However, it must be understood that he is still the champion. He made that night an amazing night," Tyson said.

Fury and Usyk are the two best heavyweight fighters at the moment. Apart from risking their belts, both will also try to keep the record unbeaten.

Usyk currently fights 21 times with a record 14 KO wins and the rest go through a decision. Meanwhile, Fury has dueled 35 times with details of 24 KO wins, 10 through decisions, and one series.