EXCLUSIVE
Lennox Lewis is backing Tyson Fury to beat Oleksandr Usyk.
Fury and Usyk square off in the first undisputed heavyweight title fight in 25 years on May 18 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
3
The last time all the belts were on the line, Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield for the IBF, WBA and WBC straps at a time when the WBO wasn't recognised as a major sanctioning body.
There are several similarities between Fury vs Usyk and Lewis vs Holyfield.
Like Holyfield, Usyk spent the early portion of his career at cruiserweight before moving up in weight.
Meanwhile, Fury and Lewis are career-long heavyweights who both tip the scales at around 250lbs.
READ MORE ON BOXING
In the last undisputed clash, the bigger man won and Lewis expects history to repeat itself later this month.
"I believe that Tyson Fury has great attributes, he's tall, he can box out of both stances, he can go forward," he told talkSPORT's Spencer Oliver.
"Right now to me it's difficult to beat a bigger guy so I'll always say the bigger guy has the advantage."
Most boxing experts are predicting that Fury will have to get it done inside the distance if he hopes to beat the Ukrainian slickster.
3
But 'The Lion' is backing Fury to get his hand raised after 12 rounds.
"I think Tyson Fury on points, but I'm not counting out Usyk," he added.
Fans worry for Tyson Fury as new training footage surfaces three weeks ahead of his fight with Oleksandr Usyk
When asked about Fury's keys to victory, Lewis replied: "He's got to use his attributes, he's got to be elusive and throw that jab.
"He has to do what he knows he has to do. He's been there before, he's boxed smaller guys, he just has to bring everything together."
Turning his attention to Usyk, he remarked: "Usyk will do what he normally does.
"He is going to move well around the ring, he's going to try and bring Tyson out of his shell.
Most read in Boxing
"It's going to take a couple of rounds for him because both guys are going to take some time to get used to each other.
"It will take at least four rounds for something to crack through. Who will be the first man to attack? Maybe it will be Usyk.
"Who's going to be the guy throwing all the jabs and moving around? Usyk will because he's got to find a way to get in against a 6-foot-9 heavyweight.
"This is the first time he's gone against a 6-foot-9 heavyweight."
Read More on talkSPORT
3
Both Fury and Usyk go into the blockbuster bout having never tasted defeat since turning professional.
And you can expect fireworks in the ring with the duo boasting 38 knockouts between them from their combined 56 fights.