Oleksandr Usyk admits he is leaning towards Terence Crawford to overcome Errol Spence Jr this weekend in Las Vegas.
Spence Jr and Crawford are set to clash in the most highly-anticipated fight of the year, for the undisputed welterweight championship at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, live on SHOWTIME PPV.
Unified heavyweight world champion, Usyk, who has been looking to secure his own undisputed title bout against Tyson Fury, says he is backing WBO champion, Crawford, who heads in as the bookies favourite, to rip away the WBC, WBA ‘super’ and IBF belts from Spence Jr.
“It’s a great fight,” the 36-year-old told FightHype.com.
“I like Terence. He’s a great boxer. I think Terence wins. That’s my opinion.
Asked if he sees similarities between himself and the Omaha native, the Ukrainian, two-weight world champion added: “There are some similar things when Terence switches his stance, but it’s normal.
“All fighters from all over the world, they watch each other’s fights and absorb some positive things.
“Then when you watch someone doing something extraordinary for you, you try it in training, and if you succeed, you feel like, wow, that’s great. I can use it in my fights as well.”
Usyk is preparing to defend his WBA ‘super’, WBO and IBF belts against WBA ‘regular’ champion, Daniel Dubois on August 26 in Poland.
The undefeated southpaw, who fights for the first time since successive victories over Anthony Joshua, came face-to-face with Dubois during a two-leg press tour earlier this moth in both Poland and England to promote the bout, which takes place four weeks on Saturday.
Usyk was expected to face WBC champion, Fury on April 29 at Wembley Stadium, although the pair were unable to reach a deal with ‘The Gypsy King’ now set to meet former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia on October 28 in a professional bout, however his WBC crown will not be at stake.
