Oleksandr Usyk has released new training footage ahead of his undisputed world heavyweight title showdown with Tyson Fury on the 18th of May – and the Ukrainian superstar looks to have bulked up significantly as he prepares for the ‘Gypsy King’. The 37-year-old has spent the majority of his career campaigning at cruiserweight, where he achieved undisputed status before moving up to the heavyweight division.
Usyk has gradually grown into the heavier weight class, hitting the scales at a career-high 221.5 lbs for his August 2022 rematch with Anthony Joshua. However, judging by this most recent clip, he might well weigh even more by the time he arrives in Saudi Arabia for his much-anticipated clash with Fury.
Fury spoke about the challenges cruiserweight champions have historically faced when moving up to heavyweight in a press conference to promote the fight on Wednesday afternoon.
Physically, there’s no doubt that the six-foot-three-inch Usyk will be at a drastic size disadvantage against Fury, who stands at six-foot-nine inches, come fight night. The unified heavyweight champion, though, looks to have packed on plenty of bulk to try and negate that gap. In the one-minute clip he released on social media, Usyk looks unrecognisable from the fighter who campaigned at cruiserweight just a few short years ago.
Noticeably fuller in both the arms and legs, Usyk worked away on a speedball in his gym, which appeared to have been specially elevated to reflect that he will be punching upwards when he steps into the ring with Fury in just under six weeks.
It is worth noting that Usyk has hardly struggled as an undersized heavyweight. He is perfect in his five-fight career in the division so far, defeating the likes of Anthony Joshua (twice), Derek Chisora and Daniel Dubois. Fury – whose career-heaviest in-ring weight is a staggering 278lbs – is a different prospect altogether and it’s easy to see why Usyk might have felt the need to bulk up. To illustrate his drastic body transformation over the years, a video of the Ukrainian hero in his cruiserweight days can be seen below.
One of the toughest big fights to call in recent memory, it remains to be seen whether Usyk’s technical boxing ability and lightning-quick footwork can give him the edge over the man mountain that is Fury. It promises to be a night to remember as boxing crowns its first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world since Lennox Lewis almost 25 years ago.
