Tyson Fury is dream opponent for Usyk – he's fighting like he's facing Wilder, says Tony Bellew

Tony Bellew believes Tyson Fury has failed to adapt since his Deontay Wilder trilogy – and that will cost him against Oleksandr Usyk.

The Gypsy King has fought three times since putting his rivalry with Wilder to bed in 2021. His outings the following year against Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora were routine but lacklustre.

And he was given an almighty scare by boxing debutant Francis Ngannou in October, securing a controversial split-decision victory. Bellew reckons his recent run spells concern for when he steps into the ring with Usyk on Saturday night.

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"Tyson Fury's style has changed since he joined SugarHill Steward," he told us, via AceOdds. "Now that was perfect for fighting Deontay Wilder. Wilder is a fighter who needs to be pushed back. Wilder is a fighter who needs to be bullied.

"If you allow him to press the pace and force you backwards, it's only a matter of time until he knocks you out. But you force Deontay Wilder on the back foot and make him fight inside and make him do things that he's not used to, he becomes absolutely useless.

"And it takes away his one-shot power. Don't get me wrong, he still can catch you, as he did catch Tyson Fury in each of the three fights, but ultimately, that’s the way to fight him. Well Fury’s now taken that style into every fight since. And you’ve seen that he's been damaged by it massively."

It was widely felt Ngannou had done enough to pull off the biggest shock in combat sports history against Fury, and Bellew agrees "no one could have complained" had his arm been raised after the 10