Oleksandr Usyk will stop Tyson Fury in the 10th or 11th round of their December 21 rematch. That's the prediction from former heavyweight champion Michael Moorer.
Moorer thinks Usyk's boxing smarts and conditioning will give him the edge over Fury. He shared his thoughts in a recent interview with BoxNation.
"Nine times out of ten Fury has sparred with southpaws, he thinks he's done everything right to fight a southpaw. SugarHill has done a great job with him but my thing is Usyk has the smarts to do so much more."
Usyk won their first fight on points. The Ukrainian sent Fury to the ropes with a left hand and flurry in round 9, earning the Brit a standing eight count.
Now, with less than two weeks to go, Usyk looks in superb shape as he aims to defend three of the four world heavyweight titles.
Moorer pointed out the differences in the fighters' backgrounds:
"Fury back in the day he wasn't a real boxer guy, he was out of shape, but Usyk was a guy that was always in shape always doing the right thing. I think Usyk will stop him probably 10th, 11th round. I think Usyk will win."
The former champ believes Usyk's skills make him tough to beat in the current heavyweight landscape.
"In this era, probably, because he knows how to fight."
Moorer knows a thing or two about heavyweight upsets. He beat Evander Holyfield in 1994 to become champion. But he lost the title to George Foreman later that year. Foreman's win made him the oldest heavyweight champ ever at 45.
Fury vs Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight crown happens on December 21. We'll see if Moorer's prediction comes true.
You can watch Moorer's full interview on the BoxNation YouTube channel.
