Former two-time heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman claims that Tyson Fury is just a “shell” of the fighter he was supposed to face on December 21 in Riyad in a rematch with unified champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Rahman believes the punishment Fury (34-1-1, 24 KO) has absorbed in three fights with Deontay Wilder has taken away the best of him, leaving a defenseless fighter whose fans saw Usyk defeat him earlier this year year on May 18.

Impact resistance is gone

Fury’s fans say he performed well in his three fights with Wilder, which is true, but in those fights he landed several powerful headshots that resulted in him going down three times. He was probably knocked out in the first and third fights, but the judges spared him.

The brutal right hands that Fury took away from Deontay aged him, leaving the fighter Ushhyk took advantage of by beating him from pillar to post in the ninth round last May.

Watching Fury get punched by Usyk and saved by the referee showed that Father Time was knocking on his door, letting him know that his career as a top-level fighter was over.

“I think Deontay Wilder played an critical role in the Usyk and Tyson Fury rematch. I believe that Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury gave their all,” said Hasim Rahman Fighttalking about his opinion that Tyson Fury is not the same fighter with whom he was heading to the rematch with Oleksandr Usyk on December 21.

Fury was still winning after his last fight against Wilder in 2021, but his wins were over lower-ranked fighters Derek Chisora, Dillian Whyte and Francis Ngannou. Tyson’s performance against Ngannou was terrible as he was knocked down and looked nothing like the fighter he was eight years earlier.

“I think they’re both shells of themselves and I believe Usyk will win this rematch by stoppage,” Rahman said, predicting Usyk would win over Fury by knockout. “I know he knows he can get thrown and hurt, but I think there’s confidence in him now. I think he will win by stoppage.”

In Wilder’s case, he looks like he’s lost confidence in throwing with his right hand, and his coach hasn’t helped by turning him into a defensive player. Wilder has never been impervious to punches, and during his reign as WBC champion he managed to be cushioned in his selection of fighters. He was the work of his manager, who mostly kept him away from risky opposition.

“I think he should fight the winner of the Joshua-Dubois rematch and then finish the fight,” Rahman said of Usyk. “This man did everything you can do in boxing. He is one of the greatest champions of all time. He is a gold medalist, the undisputed cruiserweight champion and the undisputed heavyweight. What else can you do? He did it all.”

If Joshua wins the rematch with Daniel Dubois, he will immediately fight Fury because that is what His Excellency Turki Alalshikh wants. Usyk won’t get a chance until later.

“I don’t believe that the best players will be on the market until 2025. I think Fury, Usyk and Joshua may be gone by the end of 2025. So there’s a whole lot of teenage guys coming to Bakoles.” Rahman said.

It appears that the next fight in the career of boxing superstar Gervonta Davis has been confirmed.

That’s because the WBA revealed today that it has given its super featherweight champion Lamont Roach special permission to fight Davis for the WBA lightweight belt on December 14.

WBA grants special permission to Lamont Roach to fight for lightweight title https://t.co/jcCB5Bzb1F

— WBA Boxing (@WBABoxing) September 30, 2024

In an article published on its website, the WBA wrote: “NoXcuse Boxing Promotions submitted a formal request on September 13, which was accepted by the committee for consideration and consultation with the team of Albert Batyrgaziev, who has a mandatory 130-pound weight. pretender.

“After appropriate consideration and based on the organization’s internal policies, it has been decided to grant Roach’s request subject to certain conditions.”

If Roach defeats Davis to win the WBA lightweight championship, he will have five days to decide which of the two titles he will retain and defend. However, if Roach loses, he will have to fight an official 130-pound challenger within 120 days of the Davis fight.

In recent weeks, rumors about a fight between the two 29-year-olds have been circulating in boxing. Davis last fought in June, stopping Frank Martin in eight rounds. Thirteen days later, Roach won in similar fashion over Feargal McCrory in a successful first title defense.

It wasn’t that long ago that IBF and WBO titleholder Janibek Alimkhanuly was considered the future of the middleweight division.

The 31-year-old Kazakh southerner was widely seen as the successor to his compatriot Gennady Golovkin, the last great 160-pounder who retired two years ago. However, the lack of top-class competition in the league has left Alimkhanuly with little choice but to take on all comers in anticipation of the competition that will cement his name in the public consciousness.

Next in line for Alimkhanuly is Andrei Mikhailovich, a name little known outside his native Recent Zealand and neighboring Australia. That doesn’t mean the enigmatic 26-year-old can’t fight. Clearly it can. And he firmly believes that it is his time to shine.

The fight was originally scheduled for July 13 at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, but was canceled at the eleventh hour after Alimkhanuly was hospitalized with dehydration following an acute weight cut.

To complicate matters for Alimkhanuly, the rescheduled fight will now take place at The Star in Sydney, Australia on October 4, after Mikhailovich’s promoter No Limit won the bid with a bid of $351,000. Alimkhanuly’s promoter, Top Rank, offered $350,000.

This prompted Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KO) to post on social media with an X: “I have no words. What is @toprank @BobArum @CarlMoretti?”

Alimkhanuly, rated No. 1 by The Ring and weighing 160 pounds, has since put on a calmer demeanor, insisting he has no problem traveling to Sydney to box.

“At the Sydney Olympics, two Kazakh boxers won gold. Bekzat Sattarkhanov and Yermakhan Ibraimov inspired many Kazakhs. I grew up with a dream to glorify my country like them,” Alimkhanuly said in a recent press release.

“I am very ecstatic that I will be boxing in Sydney. I want to show my flag to the world once again in Sydney, just like our Olympic champions did in 2000. The fight with Andrei is very crucial to me. Because he is the official challenger to my title.

“He’s like a cloud to me now. I have to get rid of the clouds quickly to see the sun. Everyone knows and understands that this is an straightforward job for me. I will knock him out very quickly!”

From Mikhailovich’s perspective, everything falls into place. While Alimkhanuly was recovering from his illness, Mikhailovich trained constantly, continuing to sharpen his tools. Mikhailovich is so confident that he predicts victory in the early stages of the match.

“I live in the present, but I certainly haven’t forgotten the past,” said Mikhailovich (21-0, 13 KO), who is currently not rated by The Ring. “I respect him as a champion, but I know he doesn’t respect me. That’s why I can’t wait to take absolutely everything from him.

“I will write my name in the history books with Joseph Parker and Maselino Masoe as world champions. This is my destiny, this is my everything. “I will stop at nothing to make the world remember the name of Andrei Mikhailovich.”

In this fight, Alimkhanuly has little to gain but a lot to lose. If he beats Mikhailovich, many people will say it was expected. If he fights, let alone loses, his stock will suffer. In the fickle world of boxing, where perfection is expected 100% of the time, few will consider the fact that he had to travel halfway around the globe or his apparent difficulty in getting his vast frame down to the 160-pound weight limit, let alone his strained relationship with his promoter . The only thing they will remember is his performance.

And herein lies the point. Will Mikhailovich claim Alimchanula at the right moment, or will the fight titleholder once again prove why he is the class of the division?

We’ll find out on Friday night.