Oleksandr Usyk used a bizarre analogy when comparing the strengths of rivals Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, and even called his newest opponent a “greedy belly.” The Ukrainian colossus defeated the “Gypsy King” in May in an era-defining contest to become the first unified heavyweight world champion since Lennox Lewis.

In a gripping fight in Riyad, the fighting pair were eventually separated by a split points decision as ‘The Cat’ emerged victorious with the fight already at the distance. Fury’s unblemished professional record looked to have been done in the 9th round when the Briton flailed around the ropes after his opponent landed a series of brutal jabs.

From there, the eventual loser was saved by the bell and teased into the final round before the judges declared the fight in Usyk’s favor. By winning the WBC belt that evening, he became only the second fighter this century to unify the belt in a weight class and the first in the era of four belts.

Now the triumphant fighter has spoken out about the differences between Fury and Joshua, whom he has beaten twice. I keep talking Rule of three knockdownsUsyk presented this issue in a few words, starting with the words: “Anthony Joshua has classic boxing. Greedy Belly, my friend Tyson Fury.

“It’s like carbonated water: if you open it without shaking it, it’s good. If you shake it, then [blows]. Carbonated water is Tyson Fury and still water is Anthony Joshua,” he continued, before mentioning Fury’s physical strength, going on to say, “Tyson’s hands are like two meters like a rope.”

However, when it comes to his most threatening opponent, Usyk didn’t pick any of them, adding: “I would say the toughest fight, yes, but I think the biggest punch, no. Derek Chisora, a very tough guy. As for Derek, I don’t remember which arm, if it had been left or to fight, but I would have blocked it and it would have been like a baseball bat. It was very threatening.”

“I respect Fury because he is a great fighter, a great man and very sharp,” he further explained, with clear respect for the Manchester-born superstar. “What Tyson does is ‘blah, blah, blah.’ Many people say it’s a clown. It’s not me, but maybe another opponent who doesn’t have tunnel vision.

It won’t be long before Usyk and Fury fight in the ring again, with the ceremonial competition scheduled for December 21. The latter will want to take revenge for the first defeat in his career and, after feeling, he will want to prove his point that he should have awarded the victory in Saudi Arabia the first time.

“I believe I won this fight,” he assured in May in an interview with DAZN. “And I think he won a few rounds, but I won most of them. I think we both fought a good fight – as best as we could. And, you know, his country is at war. People side with a country at war. Make no mistake, I think I won this fight.

Saudi Arabian official Turki Alalshikh previously posted on Twitter/X about the upcoming rematch, saying: “The rematch between undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk and champion Tyson Fury is scheduled for December 21, 2024 during the Riyad season. “