The genius reason why Oleksandr Usyk trains with straps on his arms ahead of Tyson Fury fight

Oleksandr Usyk has been sporting straps on his arms in a genius move ahead of his undisputed clash against Tyson Fury.

Usyk, who holds the WBA (super), IBF and WBO world titles, aims to collect Fury's WBC belt to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.

The monstrous battle, which takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is just over a week away.

Eddie Hearn, who promotes Anthony Joshua, has made a stunning U-turn as he has named who he thinks will come out on top.

Fury appears to be in the best shape of his career as he shared a topless picture of himself, stunning fans on social media.

Usyk is also in peak physical condition ahead of the biggest fight of his boxing career.

He issued a five-word message to the undefeated Brit as he also shared a picture of himself online.

In the post, the Ukrainian can be seen wearing straps on each arm, accompanied with the caption: "The hard work is done."

Image: Instagram/Oleksandr Usyk

The straps were belt-like objects that are used to restrict blood flow to the arms - a method fighters often use to help build muscle.

The devices are known as pneumatic restriction cuffs as the 37-year-old showed them off to his millions of fans.

With less blood flow to the muscles, they receive less oxygen and tire quicker.

Pressure around the arms also leads to pooling of blood in the limbs, which causes hypertrophy.

It causes muscles to swell and get bigger, meaning he is effectively stronger ahead of competing for undisputed status on May 18.

Usyk, meanwhile, hasn't fought since August 2023 when he stopped Daniel Dubois in the ninth round to defend his world titles.

As for Fury, he was last in action against Francis Ngannou as he eked out a controversial victory back in October 2023.