Hughie Fury, the younger cousin of world champ Tyson, is currently in negotiations with Heavyweight contender Alexander Ustinov. If the fight materializes, the pair will be trading blows on the Chris Eubank Jr vs Nick Blackwell chief support on March 26th. London’s Wembley Arena will host the event.
Britain’s Fury would be putting his unbeaten 18-fight record on the line, which includes 10 knockouts, while Ustinov would touch down from Russia with 33 wins, 24 knockouts and 1 defeat.
So is this a matchup to get excited about? For the Heavyweight division, it could be a lot worse, I guess. Fury is a fun upstart to tune into and Ustinov is arguably a step up from his usual softer prey. Fury, 21, is still being handled with ‘prospect gloves’, after all, so it’s to be expected.
While not possessing notable ring smarts or troubling skills, Ustinov, 39, carries a legitimate Heavyweight frame, standing at 6’ 7” and weighing around the 290 lbs mark. The dude’s big, can bang a bit, but was soundly pounded and concussed for the count in 2012 by Kubrat Pulev, the biggest test of his career. For the record, Fury is 6’ 6” and generally weighs in around 230.
The numbers on Ustinov’s record may look impressive, but the scalps he’s claimed are unheralded fringe contenders and journeyman-types at best. Ustinov’s biggest wins have come against David Tua via UD 12, Jason Gavern (man, that guy gets around) via KO 7, Kerston Manswell via TKO 3, Denis Bakhtov via UD 12, and Monte Barrett via UD 12.
After throwing in the fact Fury is a whopping 18 years younger than Ustinov, I think we can safely wrap up this brief analysis.
But you know what? Hughie Fury is yet to actually beat a top-tier opponent himself, so I guess there’s at least some mystery going into the fight. What are your thoughts on Fury vs Ustinov? And how will Fury cope with a more experienced, physically strong and raw operator like Ustinov?
