Alex Krassyuk: 'Usyk is the same size as Muhammad Ali – of course he is a heavyweight!"
Alex Krassyuk discusses his heavyweight charge Oleksandr Usyk's next fight with Anthony Joshua
On September 25, Anthony Joshua (24-1, 22KOs) defends his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles against fellow 2012 Olympic gold medallist Oleksandr Usyk (18-0, 13KOs) at the state of the art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Ahead of the eagerly-awaited showdown between the Olympic champions, the Ukrainian's promoter had a few things to say after hearing lots of claims that the former undisputed cruiserweight champion is too small to compete with the likes of AJ.
Here's what he told MyBettingSites in an exclusive interview:
Alex Krassyuk hits back at critics who don’t believe Usyk is big enough to be a heavyweight:
"I must say for those who do not see the clear reality that Usyk is a heavyweight – Oleksandr is the same size, weight, reach as his idol, “The Greatest” Muhammed Ali. Can anyone say Ali, the best of all time, was not a true heavyweight? So there is no problem there, if Ali can be beat the best at that size, so can Usyk.
"For AJ we wish him only the best, we wish him a wonderful training camp with no injuries or any other troubles. I respect him so much for his achievements in boxing, for his humble behavior, being such a massive star, for his bright personality. But let the best man win in September and then we will do it again in the rematch."
Krassyuk names four reasons why England is Usyk’s “lucky” country
"Usyk has absolutely no problem fighting in the UK – he became the European Champion in Liverpool, Olympic champion in London, he beat Tony Bellew in Manchester, he beat Dereck Chisora in London – so he has lucky experience there and that will continue in September."
Why his fighter is 'very confident' of victory over AJ:
"The rematch is something that is not obligatory in the mandatory fight. But we accepted the very fair conditions to agree to it. Oleksandr is very confident in his victory over AJ and how he will beat him – so therefore he easily agreed for the second bout because his mindset will be even more favorable after he wins the first.
"There were no other options for Oleksandr after he became the undisputed champion and defended against Tony Bellew. There was nothing else to prove at cruiserweight and staying there would for sure be a stagnation or even a step back.
"Now Alex has a huge motivation to get up at 5am every day and work as hard as he can for he has an objective in front of him. After just two bouts at heavyweight, Usyk signed the contract for a multiple belt showdown with the king of the heavyweights."
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