A boxing legend’s guide to the tiny details that reveal EXACTLY who will win between Fury and Usyk – and the Ukrainian’s ‘kryptonite’ that could end the fight in seconds

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk finally face off in Saudi Arabia on Saturday to determine who will be crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

As both fighters head into the unification bout as undefeated champions, there is little to separate Fury and Usyk before the first bell, with both heavyweights boasting varying styles on the canvas. 

Boxing legend JOHNNY NELSON has provided Mail Sport with his ultimate guide for the showpiece fight, taking a look at the strengths and weaknesses of each boxer as well as the tactics each camp will look to utilise. 

They each head into the clash as undefeated champions and boast varying styles in the ring

Boxing legend Johnny Nelson provides his ultimate guide for Saturday’s showpiece fight

STRENGTHS

Fury 

Size, weight and reach are basic advantages for Fury here but hugely influential. If he came in under 18 stone, he’d get beat. 

Under the guidance of genius nutritionist Greg Marriott, he has streamlined his body because against Francis Ngannou he plainly wasn’t fit. Now he has better muscle structure but is still a healthy size. 

Fury can switch from orthodox to southpaw at will, not many can. If you combine that with his physical attributes, it enables him to mix the dark arts with boxing and that’s a tough combination to contend with. 

He can smother and manhandle like he did with Deontay Wilder while he also likes to use his elbow, as he did against Ngannou, where it looks like it’s his forearm but is too covert for the referee to spot.

Fury revealed his incredible body transformation on social media ahead of the Usyk fight 

His size, weight and reach will be a huge advantage over the Ukrainian on Saturday night

Usyk 

Usyk is the smartest boxer Fury has been in the ring with. He will shape for different angles of attack; he can switch hit too but he’s not as comfortable.

Manny Pacquiao and Naseem Hamed were great examples of guys who could switch yet still deliver concussive punches, Usyk is not at that level. He bamboozles with his footwork. He puts his front toe next to yours so you think he’s within reach but then leans back and makes his opponent expend punches and over commit. 

Then whack, whack, whack – he’s caught you quickly with counters. Anthony Joshua made that mistake more than once. He was throwing punches, thinking he could reach, and that all comes from Usyk pressurising with his feet.

Despite his lack of size in comparison, Usyk is the smartest boxer Fury will have faced so far

WEAKNESSES

Fury 

Fury has shown he is prone to getting hit by shorter men who throw punches over the top. He does have scar tissue around his eye which could be opened up and, while he plays that down, it is there so is a weakened part of his make-up. 

His strength is also his weakness as, as he reminds everyone, he is a ‘fighting man’. That means he is prepared to do whatever it takes to win. That breeds determination but under pressure that can be a dangerous flaw because he will resort to actions that get him in trouble with the referee.

I felt his attitude for the Ngannou fight was partly down to having too many people around who are raising him to God-like status. My old trainer Brendan Ingle always used to say ‘don’t believe the hype’ because as we’ve seen with so many champions, Mike Tyson is just one example, being surrounded with too much praise, messes with your mentality.

The 35-year-old boxer has scar tissue around his eye which could be opened up – with one blow coming recently in sparring and another coming from a nasty cut sustained against Otto Wallin

Fury struggled during his narrow victory against former UFC champion Francis Ngannou, perhaps because too many people around him were  raising the Gypsy King to God-like status

Usyk 

Usyk’s kryptonite is a body shot. He showed that in the amateurs and he got caught against Daniel Dubois last August when he hit the floor as if he’d been shot. 

That reaction was like a nervous impulse of expectation, he didn’t fancy what was coming. The key though is he always has the mental fortitude to get back up. 

Tony Bellew, who lost to Usyk, says Fury going on the back foot in this fight would be a nightmare for the Ukrainian but I disagree. Fury, leading on the front, pressurising, will find gaps.

Usyk’s kryptonite is a body shot – the Ukrainian got caught against Daniel Dubois last August

TACTICS

Fury 

Tyson Fury is the master at boxing foreplay. He works on opponents months before the fight, hustling, trying to mentally disable, getting into their psyche. He’s been working on Anthony Joshua’s mindset already and he made Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora believe he was their pal, before he beat them. 

He suckers you in but Usyk is not buying it. He has been cute, pretending the barbs are lost in translation, that he doesn’t understand English so well. Then he has responded by saying Fury’s contrasting opinions are because he’s ‘a little bipolar’. It’s left Fury puzzled hence you then see his father John and the entourage become riotous to create a little dramatic distraction.

It’s all part of the plan and when it gets to the ring Fury has to dictate the pace.

Usyk 

Usyk is of similar dimensions to Muhammad Ali. He has been sparring with five bigger guys and his fighting weight is around the same as Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. 

He has good size and great movement, but Fury can counter that by moving his feet out to lure in Usyk. Then, dip his knees and lean that extra weight on top of him. Make his height and reach count, tie up Usyk in the clinch, use those dark arts and wear his opponent down. 

Fury is comfortable in those situations when fighters are complaining; if Usyk bit him for example, he wouldn’t bat an eyelid, he’d just carry on grinding him down. 

Fury is the master at boxing foreplay, getting into his opponents heads before landing the killer blow. Pictured: The Gypsy King lands a huge right hand to the face of Deontay Wilder (left)

Usyk’s corner should look to put as much pressure on the referee as possible during the fight

Conversely, Usyk’s corner should put as much pressure on the referee as possible. When Floyd Mayweather fought Ricky Hatton, they knew Ricky would fight rough, utilising his elbows and forearms. They pressured the ref so every time Ricky’s head went close, the ref would shout ‘break, box.’ It meant Ricky never found rhythm. 

Usyk’s corner need to do the same to ensure Fury doesn’t settle and that could open the door for counter shots.

PREDICTION

I had a dream, seriously, and they are usually accurate. Tyson Fury was screaming and had hold of me by the scruff of the neck saying, ‘I should have won!’. So with that in mind, I take Fury to win by a controversial points decision.