The voice and face of HBO boxing Jim Lampley was interviewed for a boxing YouTube channel from Britain.
The reporter asked Lampley for his opinion about two fights for the title of absolute champion, which will take place on May 18 and June 1 in Saudi Arabia. The experienced presenter spoke about the chances of WBC heavyweight champion Briton Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) to defeat the unified champion from Ukraine Alexander Usik (21-0, 14 KOs), and also speculated on the winner of another megafight, Arthur Beterbiev – Dmitry Bivol.
– I want to know your opinion about the big fight in Saudi Arabia – Tyson Fury – Alexander Usyk. Break this fight down for me.
“You know, there was a moment when I thought Tyson had a chance to become one of the greatest heavyweight champions in history. Then my wife pointed me to a reality show at his house in Morecambe. The moment you enter a reality show on television, you are separated from reality, from life and your representation in the media. I watched his program, his reality show, and I remember thinking, “This is not going to help him.” It certainly won’t help him keep all the things that made him an effective fighter in place. And so he almost stumbled. When you’re that big, you have to keep your game together. It only takes one slip up to create holes in the game, difficulties – and now everything is open to questions.
“We’ve seen Oleksandr Usyk beat Joshua twice, but does he have the size and skills to beat a Fury as good as he has been these years?
“Usyk proved in the fight with Joshua that size is just one factor in boxing, and not the decisive factor in certain fights. The same things that Usyk did to thwart plans and ultimately defeat Anthony Joshua, he can do against Fury. Fury needs to be focused, serious, fight the best he can, and he needs to be the same Tyson Fury who fought Deontay Wilder in their second fight. If he does, then Fury has a chance to beat Usik. If not, then Usyk will win by decision, the same way he did against Joshua.
— On June 1, a duel for the title of absolute champion will take place between Beterbiev and Bivol. How do you think this fight will go?
– Well, it’s a boxer versus a puncher. That doesn’t mean Bivol can’t hit. He can! And this does not mean that Beterbiev cannot box. He can! But at the end of the day, what will probably determine it will be whether Beterbiev can land the big punch that will get Bivol into trouble. I didn’t see Bivol in trouble. I have yet to see a Bivol holder break. I think he’s a better boxer. So if he moves, uses his space, fights like a middleweight, which he can do, I think there’s a decent chance he’ll get ahead of Beterbiev and dispel this myth that Beterbiev is indestructible. It’s also possible that Beterbiev will catch him with a big punch and give him problems. But I have not yet seen anyone break the Bivol holder.
Source:
Pro Boxing Fans
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