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Former super middleweight champion Carl Froch has altered his initial prediction for the upcoming undisputed heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. The highly anticipated fight is scheduled to take place on February 17th in Saudi Arabia.
Initially, Froch had favored Fury to secure a close decision victory over Usyk, citing Fury's size advantage as a key factor. However, his prediction has since changed following Fury's recent performance against former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in a non-title crossover boxing match last October.
In that bout, Ngannou, making his professional boxing debut, surprised many by holding his own against Fury, even scoring a shocking knockdown in the third round. Despite this, Fury managed to eke out a narrow split decision win. This performance has raised concerns for Froch about Fury's mental state and dedication to training.
Expressing his apprehension, Froch stated,
"I’m picking Usyk for that one, just because of where Tyson Fury is mentally. Hopefully Fury can have a good camp and rekindle some of his old greatness in terms of when he fought Deontay Wilder three times."
Froch highlighted Fury's recent struggles with weight management and motivation, suggesting that these factors could hinder his performance against Usyk.
Usyk, on the other hand, comes off a successful title defense in August, where he traveled to Poland and secured a knockout victory over mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois, retaining his WBO, IBF, IBO, and WBA heavyweight titles.
Froch's revised prediction reflects a significant shift in expectations for the upcoming clash, with the former champion now leaning towards Usyk as the favorite to emerge victorious in what promises