Former manager of the Klitschko brothers, Bernd Boente, tells WBN that he believes Tyson Fury faces defeat against his two main heavyweight rivals.
Boente, the long-time mastermind behind the might of former top division kings Vitali and Wladimir, aired his views in an exclusive World Boxing News interview.
Explaining his reasoning, Boente says Fury’s tendency to increase weight and not put in one hundred percent for certain fights will catch up with him against Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury faces the first acid test on May 18 opposite Usyk in Saudi Arabia. The twice-rearranged undisputed title clash will finally detonate in The Kingdom. Both men will put their respective belts on the line as the sport awaits the crowning of the first four-belt champion since Lennox Lewis in 2019.
Garnering all his years of experience and dealing with Fury in 2015, Boente can’t see anything but Usyk having his hands raised.
“I’m predicting a win on points for Oleksandr Usyk in the fight against Tyson Fury,” Boente told WBN in an exclusive interview. “Usyk is the technically better fighter.
“He has significantly more experience in 350 fights as an amateur and across two weight classes. Usyk has also boxed the better opponents as a professional. Fury’s best opponents were Wladimir Klitschko, who was almost 40 at that time, and the very limited one-trick pony Deontay Wilder. Even Fury’s usual mind games are ineffective against Usyk.
“Usyk is a cool dude and mentally stronger than Fury.”
On Fury’s approach to major fights over the past few years, Boente added: “Fury has shown a lack of discipline for many years. His last weak performance against a boxing newcomer like Francis Ngannou showed this again. In this respect, Fury reminds me of Riddick Bowe, who also had great skills but could not overcome his inner demons.”
Regarding Joshua, who Boente again dealt with during the Klitschko extravaganza at Wembley in 2017, it’s a different story with a similar outcome.
The man who now guides the careers of IBF Intercontinental heavyweight champion Peter Kadiru and German heavyweight ruler Viktor Jurk sees Fury as damaged goods.
“I already said last year as an expert on the mic for DAZN that AJ can potentially become a heavyweight world champion for the third time. I stated that he needs to find the confidence in his old strengths again,” Boente pointed out. “This now seems to be the case, especially thanks to the cooperation with Ben Davison.
“AJ’s performance against Ngannou was excellent. The jab finally worked well, and unlike Fury, AJ brutally exposed every weakness of Ngannou.”
Asked whether Joshua’s desire to switch trainers often has hindered his development, Boente responded: “Wladimir Klitschko also tested various trainers in his corner when things weren’t going so well, but fortunately, Wladimir trusted my advice to work with my old friend Manny Steward. That cooperation finally got Wladimir out of his slump, and he dominated the heavyweight division for almost ten years.
“I think AJ could also be the dominant figure for the next few years with his newfound self-confidence and the trusting relationship with Ben Davison.
“Fury also has an excellent coach in SugarHill Stewart, but his influence on him is too small because Fury is far too undisciplined and erratic. I also believe that Fury has already passed his peak.
“For those reasons, that is why I’m predicting a clear victory for AJ in a possible duel with Fury,” he concluded.
Should Fury lose to Usyk, a clash with Joshua is possible at Wembley in September following Saudi Chairman Turki Alalshikh’s recent confirmation of an imminent show in England.
Fury would have to negate his rematch clause with Usyk before accepting that any clash with AJ would be non-title. According to Boente, Fury could suffer two defeats in 2024 alone if that happens.
Read all articles and learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor Phil Jay.
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