Michael Hunter believes fighters like himself and Oleksandr Usyk pose Tyson Fury a particularly difficult set of problems; 'I would love Fury and Usyk fights now, all of those fights. I need them all,' says Hunter
Saturday 27 August 2022 08:17, UK
Oleksandr Usyk would use Tyson Fury’s size against him, predicts American heavyweight contender Michael Hunter.
Hunter is an authority on the subject; he's shared the ring with both men. The only loss of his professional career came in a 2017 world title fight with Usyk that the Ukrainian won on points. He also boxed Tyson Fury as an amateur, a contest which to this day Hunter feels should have gone his way.
Fury is a towering six foot nine inches tall, a powerful fighter who knows how to use his size. That should put Usyk, who stepped up from the cruiserweight division, at a disadvantage.
But Hunter maintains that fighters like himself and Usyk have the tools to offset Fury.
"You know how to adjust a little bit more, you know how to adapt, make him use his own weight against him. I've been fighting big guys my whole career, professional and amateur," Hunter said.
"Against somebody that's kind of his size, then he can use his weight. Somebody that's tall like him, then he can be big like that. But somebody that's on their feet like [Usyk], not to say he can't use his size because he is big, but it's a little bit harder.
"I think Usyk would need to make a couple of adjustments, but I don't think the weight will make as much of a difference as people think. That's just my opinion.
"He's an endurance athlete. He's going to move a lot. It's a styles-make-fights thing, a little different tactics to Usyk-Anthony Joshua. I think it would be interesting fight.
"I'm pretty sure that Usyk would do very well."
Although it was only an amateur contest, Hunter felt he got to grips with Fury when they boxed.
"They gave him the victory. But we know who won. It was more of a heart thing. I took him into deep waters. We were able to look each other in the eye and see that I could take it there and he couldn't," Hunter said.
"It was what it was. It was a while ago. I don't know if I'll ever fight Tyson Fury as a pro. But definitely I think people like myself, Usyk are the wrong type of fighters for him. Usyk, because he's a pure boxer, he might need to make a little bit more adjustments when fighting Tyson.
"I would love both of those fights, all of those fights. I need them all."
Hunter will be back in the UK to fight Hughie Fury on October 29 at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, live on Sky Sports.
The American is counting on victory leading him to a heavyweight world title fight. "This fight, coming to England and fighting a Fury, it's just exciting," Hunter said.
His ultimate goal is a rematch with Usyk, still the unified WBO, WBA and IBF champion after defending his titles against Anthony Joshua last Saturday with what Hunter called a "beautiful" display.
"He's a beautiful boxer. He's going to go down as a GOAT. He's a pure boxer," the American said.
But he's no less confident about the prospect of a Usyk rematch. "I feel like I've seen some holes, I've seen some things," Hunter said. "I think that obviously Anthony Joshua wasn't skilled enough, or had learned enough to exploit that, but he did a few [times. Usyk] had holes. He had blemishes.
"[Joshua] had little spots where he had the right idea but he never forced his energies towards it. It was a great fight. I think Anthony Joshua did a lot better. I think that the way he acted out was a little soft, a little young, a little immature. But he has pressure. We're all in our own world, I really don't know what he goes through in his own mind."
Hunter will focus on himself.
"When I heard [Usyk] might retire it kind of hurt my feelings. Because of the boxer in me, the competitor in me, I definitely need that back, I want to run it back. I don't know if I will I get that fight," Hunter said.
"I'm waiting. I'm praying every day that something happens that I get that chance."
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