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Barry McGuigan believes that Anthony Joshua will beat both Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.
Joshua defends his unified WBA ‘Super’, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight world titles against former undisputed cruiserweight king and WBO mandatory challenger, Usyk on September 25 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The 31-year-old was on course for an all-British undisputed title showdown with Fury in Saudi Arabia in August, before an arbitrator ruled for the WBC champion to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time.
Former featherweight world champion, McGuigan expects Usyk to cause ‘AJ’ problems early, but expects him to overcome the Ukrainian and believes his versatility would see him beat Fury.
McGuigan told Pro Boxing Fans: “I think the problem with Usyk is he’s not ever going to naturally be able to gain weight and put on a stone and a half which is what he needs to do even to get up to a reasonable weight for a heavyweight.
“He will give Joshua problems early on with his trickery and his boxing skills, but eventually Joshua will get to him and either grind him down and stop him or beat him on a lopsided unanimous decision.”
Asked who he’d pick if Joshua and Fury met, McGuigan added: “I think Joshua wins.
“Fury is tricky and awkward, but I think Joshua is more versatile.
“He can do both aggressive and boxing as he showed against Andy Ruiz, but he also showed a vulnerability. It’s only my opinion.
“I think that Tyson has a chance with anybody, because he’s so naturally gifted and he’s quick, but I just think Joshua’s extra power in the last nine minutes of the fight will take their toll.”