Coach of WBC cruiserweight champion Mairis Briedis (23-0, 18 KOs) Sandis Klein says that his fighter will show a completely different boxing style against Ukrainian Alexander Usyk (13-0, 11 KOs) than in a fight against Cuban Mike Perez (22-1-3, 14 KOs) on September 30 in Riga.
"In the first few rounds, Mairis could not find his rhythm, then he got a cut. Mairis forgot the combinations we were preparing specifically for the fight with Perez. Then, after the seventh round, everything went according to plan.
“I knew before the fight that Mike was a very experienced and clever opponent. In the second half of the fight he began to gain momentum, but we expected this. He did not allow Mairis to work. I was worried when my fighter got a cut, because he expected Peres to punch in that area to worsen the wound.
“We will prepare absolutely different for the fight against Usyk. It will be another fight, another tactics and a different pace. Usyk throws a lot of punches but they are not so heavy, but there are a lot of them. So far there was not such a serious opponent in Mairis career," said Sandis Klein.
