Eddie Hearn has predicted Tyson Fury will stop Oleksandr Usyk in their eagerly-anticipated undisputed title fight.
The two heavyweight champions will put their belts on the line in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in a marquee clash.
The bout had originally been scheduled for February 17 before a facial injury to Fury forced a postponement, but the Englishman appears back to full health as he prepares to take on the Ukrainian.
Promoter Hearn has been closely involved in the build-up to the clash, and revealed that he had gone back and forth on his pick for the fight.
But having been proved wrong by the undefeated Fury in the past, the Matchroom Sport chairman is tipping the Brit for victory.
“I’m backwards and forwards all the time — that’s why it is such a great fight,” Hearn explained on the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel. “I can’t wait to get out to Riyadh.
“Who doesn’t want to see Fury/Usyk? It’s such an intriguing fight. One minute I see Usyk in training camp and I think, ‘he always finds a way’. And then you see Fury in much better shape…
“I’ve gone against Fury so many times. I didn’t think he’d beat Wladimir Klitschko, I didn’t think he’d beat Deontay Wilder. But I’ve also gone against Usyk: I believed [Anthony Joshua] would beat him.
“Right now, if Fury comes out like he did for [the second fight with] Wilder and he’s aggressive with smart pressure, I think he can stop him. That’s what I’m going for right now. I hope Fury can do it, I really want him to win this fight.”
The encounter will be the main event at the Kingdom Arena, the venue where Fury beat Francis Ngannou via split decision in October.
The fight will crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000.
