Tyson Fury's coach snubs Oleksandr Usyk when naming Brit's toughest opponent

27 December 2023 , 10:44

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Tyson Fury's coach snubs Oleksandr Usyk when naming Brit's toughest opponent

Tyson Fury 's coach Andy Lee has claimed that Deontay Wilder is a tougher opponent than Oleksandr Usyk.

Heavyweight champion Fury is currently preparing for his undisputed fight against Usyk in Saudi Arabia on February 17th. 'The Gypsy King' has the chance to become the first undisputed heavyweight king since Lennox Lewis in 1999 and is hoping to put on a better performance than he did in his edgy crossover fight against Francis Ngannou in October.

Lee is not Fury's main trainer as that role is led by SugarHill Steward, but the Irishman is the second cousin of the unbeaten heavyweight. Lee guided Joseph Parker to an upset win against Wilder last weekend on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin and he named Wilder as a tougher opponent for Fury than Usyk.

Do you think Deontay Wilder is a tougher opponent for Tyson Fury than Oleksandr Usyk? Let us know in the comments section below

“No, it’s Wilder, he’s like the final boss, Tyson has completed the game and now he’s doing some bonus levels. Usyk is smaller, older, big amateur career, miles on the clock, just like Tyson. They talk about his footwork and his boxing ability, but Tyson’s footwork and boxing ability is as good," Lee told Boxing Social.

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"He is slick, I love the eastern European fighters because in everything they do, there is method behind it, there’s science behind it, there is no guessing with those guys. The feints, the footwork of Usyk is brilliant, but Tyson has lined up some good sparring partners and he’s well up for this challenge.

"I’ve never seen Tyson as motivated, even like a year-and-a-half or two years ago when this fight with Usyk was being mentioned, how we would come into the gym, he is going to be up for the fight. Tyson is always training, he is always fit. There is so much time for him to get ready, him and Sugar are a great partnership. Watching Sugar work is a pleasure, I've learned a lot from Sugar."

Lee was also forced to defend Fury on social media following Joshua's win after a fan claimed he's been avoiding fights against his fellow Brit and Usyk. "I know Tyson has done all he can and exceeded to make both these fights. Whatever gets put out in the media is different from what’s really happening," Lee said.

Harry Davies