Former WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew has ‘been there and done that.’ He knows what it feels like to square off against the greatest heavyweight of this generation, Oleksandr Usyk. Perhaps that’s the reason he didn’t hesitate when sharing his prediction for a hypothetical fight between former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and Usyk—the last undisputed heavyweight champion.

‘Bomber’ wanted to become the first English cruiserweight to hold all the major titles in the division, which ‘The Cat’ had conveniently collected already. Thus, the fight began at the Manchester Arena in Manchester in November 2018—Bellew was even ahead in the scorecards for two of the judges.

But Bellew never saw Usyk’s jaw-shattering left hook coming, which sent him crashing onto the canvas in the 8th round of their fight. This fight marked Bellew’s last appearance in the ring and Usyk’s last in the cruiserweight division. Usyk, of course, went on to collect all the belts in the heavyweight division, as he did in cruiserweight. 

However, since that fight, Oleksandr Usyk earned one more fan in Tony Bellew—the Brit has praised Usyk on many occasions for the Ukrainian’s skills in the ring. So, when he appeared in an interview with Instant Casino a while ago, it wasn’t very difficult for the former world champion to pick a winner between Usyk and Tyson. 

When asked during “a one-word answer round” to pick between Mike Tyson and Oleksandr Usyk, Bellew instantly responded, stating, “Mike Tyson.” Now, Tyson needs no introduction—the youngest heavyweight champion became undisputed in 1987 and remained undefeated in his first 37 fights. In contrast, Oleksandr Usyk doesn’t even have 37 professional fights under his belt. However, if Tyson and Usyk had met in their prime—what would have happened?

Prime Mike Tyson vs. prime Oleksandr Usyk: A brief look

Despite his phenomenal performance in heavyweight, ‘The Cat’ was in his prime when he was in the cruiserweight division. Had he fought Mike Tyson who was humbled by Buster Douglas in 1990, Usyk’s Soviet style of boxing may have left Tyson chasing after him across the ring, with the fight going to the championship round, and ending with a unanimous decision in Usyk’s favor. 

However, Tyson was in his prime during his fight against Michael Spinks. Considering this scenario, ‘The Cat’ could only dodge and weave Tyson’s fury for some time before Tyson’s ruthless and unrelenting attacks would catch the Ukrainian in the 4th or 5th round. Here, the fight is likely to end early with Tyson winning via a knockout.

That being said, it’s very difficult to definitively say one would win over the other, but given the track records of both fighters, a prime Mike Tyson undeniably looks better. Do you agree? If not, share your prediction for the fight.