WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua is set to defend his belts against mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk in September, after a planned unification superfight with WBC kingpin Tyson Fury fell through due to Deontay Wilder's successful arbitration.
For there to be any hope of a AJ-Fury clash in 2022, each man would need to get past Usyk and Wilder respectively this year. But while it has been common place for the promoters and associates of Joshua and Fury to cast doubt over the other's chances, Tyson's father John Fury has actually backed the London 2012 Olympic gold medalist to overwhelm the unbeaten Usyk.
"Usyk is good. He's a world-class cruiserweight, [he's] proved it," began Fury in a talk with Boxing Social (transcribed by Boxing Scene). "But AJ is a big dude and he's got a good array of boxing skills and he's a big strong man. And I just think he's all around too good for Usyk.
"Usyk won't be able to hit hard enough to bother him because he's too small. He'll walk straight through. I think AJ will stop him quicker than anybody else. I think AJ will walk straight through him. I do.
"One's a cruiserweight, one's bulking up. And if he bulks up to try and meet him head-on, forget about it. That's why there's weight classes.
"A good bigg'un will always beat a good littl'un. And AJ is a good bigg'un."