Tony Bellew believes Tyson Fury will not repeat the mistakes he made against Francis Ngannou when he steps into the ring with Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury is set to finally lock horns with the Ukrainian in May for their hugely anticipated rescheduled fight. It will mark the first time the Brit boxer has been in the ring since his unconvincing win over Ngannou last year, where the former UFC star managed to send Fury to the canvas in his very first boxing bout.
His display sparked speculation that Fury's power was waning and showing signs of decline, but speaking to Spinbet, Bellew thinks the 35-year-old underestimated his opponent, and that won't happen again when he battles Usyk.
He said: “I still think Tyson Fury overlooked Francis Ngannou and let’s be honest, it was a bit of a circus, so he got caught up with all of that to be totally honest.
"He is in great shape now but yes; he has been on the floor before against Ngannou but also others and yes, we have seen him struggle with smaller fighters, but he knows what he is getting into with this one against Oleksandr Usyk.
"Tyson Fury knows that this is for all of the marbles, and this will be the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999 when he beat Evander Holyfield so he knows what this is for and knows the magnitude of the event so he will prepare accordingly and will be ready on May 18.
"He’ll be ready to take his place rightfully amongst the greats of the sport if he wins."
Live on DAZN: Arsen Goulamirian vs. Gilberto Ramirez on March 30. Click here for more details.