TYSON FURY has been tipped to make a sensational tactical switch for his Saudi showdown with Oleksandr Usyk.
The Wythenshawe warrior will bid to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in nearly 25 years when he throws down with the undefeated Ukrainian on May 18.
EPATyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will vie for all the heavyweight marbles on May 18[/caption]
GETTYFormer pound-for-pound king Usyk will be the smoothest operator Fury has fought[/caption]
GettyFury’s former training Jamie Moore reckons The Gypsy King could COPY Usyk’s southpaw stance[/caption]
The fleetfooted Usyk, who twice rang rings around Anthony Joshua, will be the smoothest operator Fury has faced in his near 16-year-long professional career.
And former trainer Jamie Moore reckons The Gypsy King could try to negate Usyk’s southpaw craftiness by COPYING his stance.
During TNT Sports‘ Fight Breakdown, the 45-year-old said: ” We’ve seen Fury, in the past, box southpaw a lot.
“And I’ve got a feeling he’s gonna box this fight southpaw.
“Because he’s quite adaptable and he’s really good at fighting a southpaw.
“And it’s easier to get to a southpaw if you’re a southpaw and you know what you’re doing.
“And I can’t recall Usyk boxing a top-level southpaw. Not since he was an amateur.
“So I’ve got a feeling that’s what Fury’s tactics might be.”
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Moore reckons Team Usyk have will have anticipated Fury pulling a shock switcheroo.
“So if I’m putting myself in Usyk’s coaches’ shoes, I’m going, ‘See I think he’s gonna go southpaw.’”
“You’d have at least half of it being prepared with some type of southpaw sparring”
Fury briefly switched to southpaw in his 2022 victory over Dilian Whyte, although George Groves reckons he’d playing with fire doing so against Usyk.
The former WBA 168lbs champ said: “That would be bravery of Tyson Fury to go into the hardest fight [of his career] and go, ‘I’m gonna fight it [as a] southpaw’.
“Because he’s not as good as a southpaw as he is as an orthodox [fighter]. But he’s a decent southpaw.”
Groves’ former Brit rival Carl Froch, however, said: “He might just do that for periods.
“And he might start off as [a] southpaw just to try to throw a spanner into the works and then switch back. Mix it up against.”
It’s unclear if Fury will fight the biggest of his career as leftie, although Moore reckons doing so will pay dividends for the WBC heavyweight.
He said: “If you can switch when someone is going to the left and you switch to orthodox and as soon as they go to the right, you switch [to] southpaw, you’re cutting the ring off automatically.
“So it would be a good tactic, if he can do it.”
Watch Fury v Usyk, ‘Ring of Fire’ live from Riyadh on TNT Sports Box Office on Saturday 18 May. For more info visit: tntsports.co.uk/boxoffice
Inside the Gypsy King’s royal court
TYSON FURY is one of the biggest characters in sport.
The two-time heavyweight champion is not known for pulling his punches and lets both his fists and mouth do the talking.
Fury has seven children with wife Paris and recently hinted another is on the way.
Their family life is set to hit the screen again with season two of At Home With The Furys being filmed for Netflix.
The Gypsy King is Love Island star Tommy’s older brother.
He is heading for a £200million showdown with bitter rival Anthony Joshua and on track to become boxing’s first billionaire.
But daughter Venezuela has taken a cheeky pop at her dad for his bargain-hunting ways.
Despite boasting a monster car collection, he can often be seen pottering around town in a VERY modest motor.
Fury has opened up on his mental health struggles and shared insights into the diet behind his incredible body transformations.
As well as his talents in the ring, the Morecambe mauler is known for serenading fans in the ring and incredible bespoke, and sometimes tongue-in-cheek, fight-week suits.
Check out all our Tyson Fury stories here.