Tyson Fury has backed fellow British heavyweight Joe Joyce to avenge his World Series of Boxing defeat to Oleksandr Usyk when the two meet later this year as professionals.
Usyk and fellow Ukrainian Vasiliy Lomachenko wowed the London crowd at York Hall in 2013 with masterclasses in the WBS event that serves as a halfway point of sorts between amateur boxing and the professional stage those involved are preparing themselves for at that point of their careers.
Usyk comfortably decisioned Joyce on the night but after dominating as a pro cruiserweight has been met by plenty of criticism by fellow peers after his first two bouts at heavyweight.
Joyce, meanwhile, has exceeded expectations since turning pro thanks to his stature and awkward style. He impressed many with his stoppage of previously-unbeaten compatriot Daniel Dubois and some expect an entirely different fight between Joyce and Usyk if their proposed bout for the interim WBO title comes to fruition.
One big-name backer of Joyce is current WBC champ Fury, who does not think heavyweight is a scene where Usyk can thrive.
"Easy, Joyce stopping him," Fury said on Behind The Gloves.
"I don’t think Usyk is the big threat everyone once thought he was a few years ago. When he was a cruiserweight, he was good. He's had two fights at heavyweight and struggled in both of them, really.
"He didn't look great against Chazz Weatherspoon, Weatherspoon was out the ring years and years and years. And he didn't look good against Chisora. I thought Chisora nicked a draw to be honest.
"So yeah, he didn't look great. And I think big Joe will walk through him, be like a middleweight versus a super heavyweight and I fancy big Joe to nail him."
The WBO recently indicated that they would allow current champ Anthony Joshua and Fury to battle for their version of the title as well as all of the other major belts to determine a first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis achieved the feat two decades ago.
However, it has been widely reported that as soon as Fury vs. Joshua 1 has happened and accomplished exactly that, the sanctioning body will vacate the title and elevate the winner of Usyk vs. Joyce from interim champion to full champion.