I was 'knocked out' by Oleksandr Usyk in sparring, but Tyson Fury proved to me he's even better and will win

26/04/2024 17:00

Dave Allen is better positioned than anyone to given an opinion on Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk.

The undisputed heavyweight world title fight is now just under a month away, as it will take place on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.

The fight to crown one true king of boxing’s most glamorous division will be enormous with many already debating who will win out of Fury and Usyk.

British heavyweight fan favourite Allen has sparred with both champions in the past and so knows them very well.

He shared the ring with Fury on several occasions during a seven-year span, and flew out to join Usyk’s camp once as well.

Allen famously revealed after this experience that he’d been effectively ‘knocked out’ by Usyk when they sparred.

At the time in 2020, Allen said: “When I sparred Usyk he knocked me unconscious.

"I never went over, I finished the round. But I can remember him hitting me.

“Next thing I knew I was stood outside the ring, packing my bag. I was concussed.”

He later uploaded the clip of the punch with the caption: "Here is the spar with me and Usyk.

"You can hear at around the five-second mark I do a very loud snore.

"This is my last idea of what happened for the next 30 minutes but I didn't go down.

"I finished the round but for all intents and purposes I'm knocked out from the second the left lands."

Now that Fury vs Usyk is signed, Allen has been asked who he believes will emerge victorious.

Despite his brutal experience with the Ukrainian, he is adamant that his fellow Brit is an even better fighter.

Allen told talkSPORT: “I think Fury will beat Usyk, I think he’s too big.

“I think they are the two best heavyweights on the planet.

“The skill level is insane – I’ve sparred them both – but I think Fury is too big.”

Asked which of the pair impressed him the most in sparring, Allen told Pro Boxing Fans: “More-so Fury, I sparred Fury for seven years.

“I sparred Usyk and he was brilliant, but you know when he chinned me I hadn’t eaten for two weeks.

“That’s not an excuse, he boxed my head off, but Fury’s a level above I would say, in every aspect.”