Fury looked average in winning a close split decision over Francis Ngannou but Fury looked out of shape for that fight and looked physically prepared for the rematch.
Usyk weighed heavier than I expected (223) but looked in shape as well.
Tyson Fury has all the physical advantages in this fight and I could see him laying on Usyk to wear him down but Usyk is the more talented fighter of the two with tremendous skills.
The adage in boxing is that a great big man always beats a great little man but what if you don't think Tyson Fury is a great big man?
Maybe Fury is just a very good big man and that depends on how highly you rate Deontay Wilder.
Wilder ranks with the best punchers in heavyweight history but he isn't a great fighter if you take Wilder from the Fury resume', you are left with a boring win over an aging Wladimir Klitschko and a win over perennial contender Dillian Whyte as his best wins.
Usyk, like Evander Holyfield before him, has the talent to beat very good heavyweights despite a smaller frame but failed against larger heavyweights such as Lennox Lewis and Riddick Bowe who could approach his skill level.
So, again I ask- Is Tyson Fury a great heavyweight or a very good one?
Today, we will find out.
The co-feature is one that I am excited about as Jai Opetaia faces Mairis Breidis for the vacant IBF cruiserweight title that Opetaia won in their first fight and was stupidly stripped of when Breidis suffered a training injury for their rematch, Opetaia asked for permission to fight a replacement that Breidis had no issues with since he couldn't fight and the IBF stripped Opetaia for not fighting Breidis.
I gave myself a headache typing that!
Their first fight was great with Opetaia building a lead to survive a broken jaw and a late-round Breidis rally to win a tight unanimous decision.
Breidis hasn't fought in almost two years since their first fight and he's now thirty-nine years old, so this points towards the younger Opetaia but remember Breidis is the only fighter to give Oleksandr Usyk a close fight in losing a majority decision in 2018, so if he is capable of that type of performance at this age, he could reverse the original result.
Joe Cordina defends his IBF junior lightweight title against Anthony Cacace.
Cordina was fortunate to retain his title by majority decision over Edward Vazquez in his last outing but Cacace's lone defeat was to his best opponent Martin Ward.
Former light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev continues a comeback at cruiserweight against undefeated Robin Safar.
Kovalev has fought only once since his 2019 knockout loss to Canelo Alvarez but looked good in his 2022 decision win over Tervel Pulev.
Safar is unbeaten but untested, so he's a question mark entering this one.
An intriguing heavyweight fight between unbeaten contenders pairs Agit Kabayel and Frank Sanchez.
Kabayel posted the biggest win of his career in December when he dropped Arslanbek Makhmudov three times and finished him in the fourth round.
Sanchez's style isn't always fan-friendly but it's very effective and top heavyweights aren't anxious to deal with him, so the winner will take a leap forward in someone's ratings.
In the evening from San Diego, ESPN/Top Rank will fill one title immediately and another eventually.
In the main event, Emanuel Navarrete and Denis Baranchyk will meet for the WBO lightweight title vacated by Devin Haney.
Navarrete still holds the WBO junior lightweight title, which he will likely vacate with a win, fought to a majority draw last November against Robson Conceicao, and is always involved in great fights.
Baranchyk is an unbeaten former Olympic silver medalist but with only nine knockouts in his eighteen wins, he might need to be a better puncher who could take advantage of Navarrete's chin, which saw him survive against Liam Wilson only through a generous referee.
The co-feature is for a minor welterweight title between Giovanni Santillan and Brian Norman but means more in the larger picture as the WBO will promote the winner to the full champion once Terence Crawford officially moves to 154 pounds.
Santillan ripped through the WBO's number-one contender, Alexis Rocha, in six rounds last October and took Rocha's place at the top of the organization's ratings.
Norman hasn't lost and has a strong amateur record but his resume' is weak and I have a feeling that he may not take the best shot either.
Boxing Challenge
Heavyweights.12 Rds
TRS: Navarrete Unanimous Decision
V.S: Barnachyk Unanimous Decision
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