Tony Bellew thinks WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is ducking an undisputed battle with Oleksandr Usyk.
The Ukrainian lately beat Anthony Joshua for a second time to cement his standing because the WBO, WBA, and IBF heavyweight titleholder and seemingly arrange a mouth-watering conflict with Fury.
Nonetheless, Usyk confirmed he won’t be able to battle once more this yr attributable to damage, prompting ‘The Gypsy King’ to name out Joshua for a 2022 match-up.
AJ has since accepted a 60-40 purse cut up and publicly agreed to battle Fury on the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on December 3 and talks are progressing effectively, in response to boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.
Nonetheless, ‘The Bomber’ believes Fury’s pursuit of a battle with Joshua has distracted individuals from the very fact he has as soon as once more averted Usyk.
“I don’t need to say he doesn’t fancy it in opposition to Oleksandr Usyk however let’s be trustworthy, it’s not a simple proposition is it,” Bellew mentioned on talkSPORT Breakfast.
“He’s had two alternatives now to face Oleksandr Usyk and he’s knocked them each again. That’s not my opinion, that’s a truth. For somebody who’s a so-called middleweight, I don’t see what the issue is.
“’You’re a middleweight, you’re a middleweight.’ That’s all I hear! Why not simply beat the middleweight up? I’d if I had been you.
“And then you’ve got all the belts, you’ve achieved everything in boxing. You’ve cleaned out a division, you’ve cleaned out an era and can ride off into the sunset.
Bellew shared the ring with Usyk in 2018 and started well before being knocked out with a single punch by ‘The Joker’ who finished his cruiserweight career by defending his undisputed WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles in Manchester.
“When you get in the ring with Oleksandr Usyk you have so many different, difficult tasks in front of you. It’s his footwork, hand speed and movement,” he added.
“You know, he’s got a bit of pop in his gloves these days because he’s up a weight division and he’s not getting himself down to cruiserweight.
“There’s simply so many issues to keep in mind and for a man like Fury, he’s like, ‘I need to battle a man who I do know precisely what he’ll do.’
The previous boxer turned commentator believes Joshua represents a beneficial match-up for Fury, partly as a result of it’s a way more profitable battle, but in addition as a result of AJ has a a lot easier boxing type.
“For some cause unbeknown to me this ‘middleweight’ he doesn’t need to face on three months’ discover,” Bellew concluded.
“I don’t get it! What I do perceive is, ‘I’ll inform you what, I’ll battle AJ as a result of I can earn double in opposition to AJ than what I’ll earn in opposition to Usyk.’”