Almost there. A week of drum-beating, headbutting, amping the vibe with all manner of puerile posturing is nearing its weary end. So, too, might be the unbeaten status of Tyson Fury.
Whilst Fury carries the big-man-beats-little-man vote of the majority of experts, all respect Oleksandr Usyk’s body of work, and some believe he has the tools to silence the Fury chorus.
A leading advocate for Usyk is Barry McGuigan, who returns to our screens as a Sky Sports pundit for the first time in a decade. Maybe the broadcaster was prompted to engage McGuigan, sensing the end of empire too. McGuigan is more persuaded by Usyk’s pedigree than Fury’s bluster.
Whilst he recognises the Englishman’s attributes, namely his greater dimension and reach, decent movement and ring IQ, McGuigan believes Usyk’s deep amateur pedigree, higher calibre of opponent at cruiserweight and significant wins against Anthony Joshua at heavy are significant.
“If you look at Fury’s career, it has not been filled with great opponents,” McGuigan told i.
“Other than Deontay Wilder and Wladimir Klitschko, who of note has he beaten? Where was the risk or danger to him in other fights? It is not necessarily his fault.
“It is to a degree the times we are in. If you look at Lennox Lewis, for example, he had big, bruising American heavyweights on his case. The American heavyweight has all but disappeared.
“Again, Fury cannot be blamed for that, but the truth is the likes of Otto Wallin and Steve Cunningham are not the stuff of legend. He has not even fought one of the leading British heavyweights of the time, Joshua.
“Usyk has beaten Joshua twice. He is the guy who has taken on the best at every level. He is champion for a reason.
“When you throw the balls in the air you have to go with consistency. Usyk does not have the power to stop Fury, but he has the skills to ambush and to confuse and eventually wear him down.”
The tale of the tape is heavily stacked in Fury’s favour. At 6ft 9ins, he is six inches taller than Usyk and, should he come in at a slimmed-down 19st, as predicted, he will be at least three stones heavier.
However, at 6ft 3ins and almost 16st, Usyk is not undernourished. Moreover he fits the template of the late 20th century heavyweight, a period which threw out some of the greatest fighters of all time.
Usyk weighed 221lbs in his last three fights, which was one pound more than peak George Foreman when he fought Muhammad Ali in Zaire 50 years ago. Joe Frazier weighed 214lbs when he fought Foreman, and Ken Norton was 213lbs against Big George. At his fearsome peak Mike Tyson hovered between 216lbs and 221lbs.
Granted they were all meeting opponents of like scale, but there is something about Usyk’s dimensions that optimise the physical requirements of the ring; speed and stamina as well as brute force.
Another ticking the Usyk box is Tony Bellew, who twice beat David Haye at heavyweight, but could barely lay a glove on Usyk at cruiser. Writing for BBC Sport, Bellew said: “If Fury and Usyk were the same size, this wouldn’t even be a contest. There is no way in the world Fury would win a round, let alone the fight.
“Fury’s physical attributes are what makes it intriguing and close. On paper, it’s not fair. A huge monster facing a little guy.
“But Usyk has made the successful jump to heavyweight because he really is that good. There are boxers and then there is Usyk. I speak from knowledge and, unfortunately, experience.
“Fury looks in unbelievable shape. He has definitely taken this seriously. This is not the Francis Ngannou fight happening again.
“This is a Fury who is 100 per cent focused and 100 per cent dedicated. I still don’t think it will be enough. For the first time in his career, Fury is facing a guy who is naturally a better boxer and technically more awkward.”
McGuigan concurs, whilst accepting the call is tight: “Usyk was a world amateur champ and Olympic gold medallist. As a pro he was undisputed champion at cruiserweight and is now a unified heavyweight champion. He could be Fury’s kryptonite.
“We are all hedging because it is so close, but I just think the years of dedication and hard work will count for something. Between fights Fury blows up. Usyk doesn’t do that, and it will tell in the end.
“You only have to see how accomplished he looked against Joshua, who never really hurt him.”
An Usyk win would also be a victory for decency. Selling the fight was how Fury justified his father’s tiresome assault upon a young Usyk cheerleader half his size, as if the first undisputed heavyweight title fight in two decades needs the “Big John” card. Thankfully Fury can check his father at the ring apron.
Given the old man’s record when he faced opponents of his own size, that has to be a good thing. Henry Akinwande blew through Big John in three rounds in 1991. And four years later journeyman Steve Garber put a full stop to his 13-fight pro odyssey with a fourth-round stoppage.
The one place you can trust Fury is in the ring. That is not a guarantee of quality, but of honesty. His biggest problem is getting up for overmatched opponents.
Ngannou would be one example, Wallin another. That won’t be an issue against Usyk, who has every ounce of Fury’s attention in Saudi Arabia. And vice versa, of course.