What makes Usyk so good? AJ's sparring partner reveals all

When top British heavyweights are preparing for Oleksandr Usyk it is perhaps a surprise that the man often called in for sparring is a 3-0 Irish prospect.

Thomas Carty has been summoned into camp with Anthony Joshua, the former heavyweight champion who rematches Usyk live on Sky Sports Box Office on August 20, as well as Dereck Chisora.

"I've described myself as the Poundland version of Usyk," he laughed.

But Carty is a heavyweight southpaw who's been looking to box like Usyk from early on in his own amateur career.

"I learned how to punch properly and I've always had really solid fundamentals," Carty told Sky Sports.

"I was mobile as well for a big guy and on top of that as I started to mature more I got that bit stronger and because I was punching properly, I've got a bit of pop now in the shots.

"I suppose I've developed a kind of slick, power-punching style, Which is quite interesting to watch, southpaw as well so the shots are quite flashy then when you throw them."

He does though understand what makes Usyk such a formidable fighter.

"What makes him effective and good is how mobile he is. His feet are really, really good. His fundamentals are, I would say up there, with some of the best fundamental boxing skills ever, in my opinion," Carty said.

"Then you have the element of being left-handed and things not being the way they usually are. If there are a hundred guys in the boxing gym, less than five per cent are going to be lefties.

"It's something that's not seen a lot, I think, at the elite level of heavyweights," he added. "Obviously you can pick out examples but few and far between.

"I remember watching him against [Tony] Bellew and he was throwing jab-left hooks, the next week in sparring I'm throwing jab-left