Boxing trainer Don Charles is no stranger to Oleksandr Usyk’s silky skills having coached two fighters in the opposite corner to the Ukrainian.
He worked with Derek Chisora for his clash with the unbeaten 36-year-old in 2020, which ‘Del Boy’ lost by unanimous decision despite putting up a valiant effort.
And most recently, in August last year, Charles trained Daniel Dubois for his unified world title bout against the Ukrainian.
The Brit was stopped in the ninth round although there was some controversy, as many people believed Dubois had dropped Usyk with a body shot earlier in the fight, but it was ruled as a low blow.
And despite having seen Usyk beat two of his men, Charles is still convinced that he is no match for Tyson Fury.
‘The Gypsy King’ and Usyk will fight on February 17 in Saudi Arabia in a battle for the undisputed heavyweight world titles.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Charles broke down how he sees the dust-up playing out, insisting Usyk is set to be in for a long night.
He said: “This Fury who has gone silent, I believe he’s gone silent, he’s gone away to train, he’s taking it seriously.
“Forgive me if I get this wrong, but I don’t even think it will be a hard fight for Fury.
“He’ll maul him, he’s too big for Usyk, he’ll maul him, hit him, tie him up, push him off, he’ll maul him.”
As for how Usyk should go about fighting Fury, Charles said: “I’ve looked at this fight and no matter how I look at it I come to one conclusion.
“Yes, Usyk is an exceptional, brilliant technician/tactician
“Usyk has a fantastic rhythm that can offset Fury. [He needs to throw] lots of feints, shoot to the body, leave the head alone.
“Throw all your combinations to the waist, don’t go up, leave Fury’s head alone, that’s what I would advise.”
