Former contender for the world title in the heavyweight division (over 90.7 kg) Ukrainian Vyacheslav Glazkov gave an interview for the YouTube channel ”
Boxing studio of Victor Yalymov“.
In a conversation, Vyacheslav discussed with the presenter the career of the current unified champion from Ukraine Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs). Glazkov spoke about his impressions of Usyk on working together in the national team, spoke about Alexander’s fights against former British champion Anthony Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs), and also commented on the upcoming fight for the title of absolute champion Usyk – Fury.
— Were you surprised by the success of your teammate Oleksandr Usyk? Olympiad, the undisputed heavyweight champion, now owns three heavyweight belts. Did you expect such success?
To be honest, I expected. I saw him for the first time at the Ukrainian Championship in Lutsk. This was around 2005. I then competed in heavyweight, and he was in 75 kg. Then the leader was Viktor Polyakov from Ivano-Frankivsk. Also an experienced fighter, he went to the Olympics. And then he suddenly comes out with some unknown Usyk, and Usyk smashes him in his own manner, and confidently smashes him. And this is a young guy. Then I turned my attention to him. Thought there was a future. And that’s it, after that he gets into the national team and becomes one of the leaders even then. Although at that time a young guy, he started to study late, as I later heard.
– And at that time in 2008, before the Olympics, did you spar with him?
– Do you know how at the training camp? We stand together in pairs, everyone is spinning in a circle. If the weights are close, then everything is in a circle. They stood, yes, they stood in pairs. Here it is uncomfortable, non-standard, you can immediately say that it is non-standard. And a great merit in this is his first coach Lapin. As I remember now, this is his school – Lapinsk. You know, you can say here that the manner of the coach and the abilities of the student converged into one. It rarely happens when the coach approaches the student and the student approaches the coach. They have such a symbiosis. This is Lapin’s school, it suits Usyk very well. He adopted this feline manner. This school gave its results afterwards. I’m watching how Usyk is boxing now … In principle, as he laid the base for him, so he stayed with him. On this basis, he boxed. It is clear that he gained weight, power, strength there, but the base itself is the boxing school of Sergey Lapin.
Did you give him chances to beat Joshua twice in heavyweight?
– How did you give it? Boxing, you know, is an unpredictable sport. Usyk is a typical boxer. He won’t give up. I don’t know how to express myself. All chances were before the fight. I gave 50/50. Again, Joshua is powerful, large, but Usyk realized his full potential in movement, speed, again in originality. It’s very hard to get into it. This feline manner, it certainly makes itself felt.
Usyk-Fury fight. Weighted prediction from rival Joshua
– And, probably, the only fight that is expected this year is Usyk – Fury. What do you think about this fight, how can it turn out? What are the chances of who?
– I still bet on Usyk. Everyone is talking about how Fury should win. But Usyk is elusive, one might say. Fury will be hard. It seems to me that Usyk will beat Usyk in his own way. My bets on Usyk.
– From the main qualities or technical points, with the help of which Usyk will win this fight?
– Endurance. He is hardy. And in heavyweight, this is generally like a quality, because they are all heavy, you know, the second half of the fight – both speed and movement are lost. Somewhere in the first half you can be dangerous, and in the second half everything is already lost. And Usyk, on the contrary, is building up. I don’t know, probably, he has a natural quality, such a natural endurance. I think Fury will be exhausted anyway. Although Fury also breathes well, I see. The last fights – well, he breathes well, in principle, it can explode in the second half of the battle, in the end it can explode. But again, this is boxing, that’s why it’s interesting. It will be an interesting fight. Two non-standard boxers. Fury is non-standard and Usyk is non-standard. It can turn out to be either a super interesting fight or generally uninteresting, viscous, maybe some kind of fight will turn out. Moreover, Fury can tie up, twist. Let’s see. God grant that it takes place, this fight.