Anthony Joshua may be wrong to claim that Oleksandr Usyk is just as good as WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, according to Ak and Barak of the DAZN Boxing Show.
Joshua is due to face Usyk as his mandatory WBO challenger on Sept. 25 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
That fight came about after Fury dropped out of a proposed match to settle the undisputed heavyweight champion designation, and perhaps that disappointment was in mind when Joshua talked up the Ukrainian former cruiserweight.
Speaking on the show, Barak Bess said: “How the Heck, can I compare those two guys? Uysk was king of the Cruiserweight division — to say that he's just as good, I just think he has different attributes. I'm gonna have to say no. He hasn't proven to be just as good.
“I mean, Tyson is coming off the best win of his life. Best one of his career, you know. Also the [Wladimir] Klitschko win, but this was the best one of his career when he beat Deontay Wilder. So to say that he's just as good — no. I mean, maybe he didn't mean literally, it maybe just means to him. ‘This is just as good. I'm getting the same money. Or I'm just as motivated because we're AJ, we know.’
“We need him motivated. We need him motivated for him to do his best, just like any other fighter, you know, so I think that's probably what he meant.”
Akin ‘Ak’ Reyes however believed that Usyk could match Fury for skill, at least.
“When you were sitting back and not talking about accomplishments? Well, I mean, you can't take away Uysk’s accomplishment at cruiserweight division, right,” he began.
“And that's the biggest accomplishment you can have in a division. But when it comes to skillset, southpaw stance, trickery, I mean, the way he was able to beat Tony Bellew, who's a very good fighter.
“He showed a lot of tricks. I can sit here and say that he's probably just as skilled as Tyson Fury. And that might be what Anthony Joshua meant, maybe not as decorated, but I'm talking about maybe he hasn't had that big name opponent yet, like Fury, but if I'm just judging off a skill, I would have to agree with Joshua.”