"Clowning, not boxing": former world champion from Russia assessed the Usyk – Fury fight

Former world heavyweight champion Grigory Drozd called the victory of Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) over Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) in the May 18 fight a natural outcome. The Russian also criticized the Gypsy King, as the British boxer is called, for his behavior in the ring.

Drozd said this in an interview with the propaganda news agency RIA Novosti. The former boxer from Russia expressed confidence that the main reason for Fury's defeat was Usyk's overactive behavior, which set many tasks for his opponent that he could not solve quickly.

"Oleksandr's victory is natural. Fury lacked aggression, punches, and risk. I expected him not to fool around, but to box more persistently. When he loses and puts his hands behind his back, it's clowning, not boxing, it's some kind of slackerism on his part. Fury had some sharp moments, winning episodes and rounds, but overall, Usyk's victory is logical. Usyk does too much in the ring for a heavyweight: he constantly presses and pulls his opponent out, constantly threatens him, works well on his feet and with his forehand. It was too much information for Fury," said Drozd.

On May 18, Usyk won the fight for the title of absolute world heavyweight champion by split decision. After the fight, Fury called the war in Ukraine one of the reasons for his defeat. Tyson also expressed his desire to visit Ukraine.

At the same time, referee Mark Nelson's decision to score Tyson a knockdown in the ninth round drew criticism from experts. Usyk was hospitalized immediately after the fight.

World lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) reacted to his compatriot's victory in three words. In Russia, the Ukrainian's triumph was called a victory for "the entire Slavic people."

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