Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk use surprise tactics as Ukrainian watches rival in fascinating open workouts

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury surprised the boxing world by using new stances during their open workouts.

Fury and Usyk will meet on May 18 in a bid to make history, as both men embark on solo quests to become the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.

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The two trained for the final time in front of the media in the lead-up to their historic night, and Usyk looked in great shape as always.

He got into the ring and began training, but it was visible that he was using an orthodox stance, the opposite of the tactics he had used for his previous success.

It’s unclear if he’ll adopt the tactic for fight night, but it could pose a completely different test for Fury if he adopts the new stance.

It will likely be about mind games in training, and the Brit followed suit where he looked extremely relaxed.

Fury then adopted a southpaw stance, as if in a direct response to Usyk with an intriguing tactical battle set up by both men.

It’s a rare occurrence, but the British heavyweight is known for playing the punching role in the past, including in victories over domestic rivals Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora.

He played air guitar in front of fans while beaming from ear to ear while singing along to music, an action that comes as no surprise to the WBC champion’s avid followers.

Usyk was clearly unimpressed with Fury’s antics and suggested on the show that it wasn’t “real” training in other mind games before the clash.

His eyes remained firmly fixed on Fury throughout his training, and the duel to make history became respectful but had a commercial side.

Usyk will be a formidable opponent for Fury, having beaten Anthony Joshua twice and Daniel Dubois since his sensational move from cruiserweight.

And Fury’s promoter Frank Warren believes Fury will look to use his advantages more than AJ did in his two losses.

He told talkSPORT: “Look, Usyk did everything he could do.

And you think about him versus AJ twice. AJ had a longer reach, a much longer man, but Usyk outplayed him.

“The difference is with Tyson: he will stand up and he will hit you.

“If he gets punched and kicked, he won’t back down, he’ll back down with you.

“And I think that’s the difference between AJ and Tyson. Tyson will stick to his game plan and I think he’ll use his advantages like his reach.

“The game plan will be to put Usyk on the back foot – take the center of the ring, command the ring, put him on the back foot and break him. I truly believe he will do that.”

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