Oleksandr Usyk 'Bossed' Wladimir Klitschko In Sparring To The Point Where He Was 'Slung Out,' Says Johnny Nelson

Boxing legend Johnny Nelson revealed that Oleksandr Usyk once dominated Wladimir Klitschko in a sparring session as he made it really "hard for Wladimir."

The undefeated Usyk, 32, is preparing to make his heavyweight debut on Saturday against Chazz Witherspoon at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

According to Nelson, the former undisputed cruiserweight champ made life tough for fellow Ukrainian Klitschko several years ago.

'Dr Steelhammer,' 43, was preparing for his blockbuster clash with Tyson Fury in 2015 and stepped in the ring with Usyk for a sparring session.

But the 'Cat' took apart boxing legend Klitschko to the point where he "slung him out" of the ring to avoid embarrassment with the international press.

Nelson told Behind The Gloves in 2018: "I rate Usyk, when I saw him sparring with Wladimir when Wladimir was preparing for Tyson Fury.

"I said 'Who is that guy? Who is he?'

"I had no idea, but I knew there was something special about him.

"He did one round with Wladimir, and Wladimir slung him out and said 'Get out, not while the press is still here.'

"He was making it hard for Wladimir, he was like bossing Wladimir. 'Get him out! Get someone else in!'"

Klitschko would eventually lose against Fury in a stunning upset in Dusseldorf and would fight against Anthony Joshua in his final bout in 2017.

Usyk's last professional fight came in 2018 when he KO'd Tony Bellew in the eighth round at the Manchester Arena.

Speaking ahead of Usyk's fight with Witherspoon, Bellew believes that his former opponent could successfully beat WBC champ Deontay Wilder.

But the 36-year-old former boxer said Usyk would struggle against Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

He told Sky Sports: "[He could beat] Wilder, and that's an easy answer.

"Don't get me wrong, if Wilder lands on him, then it's not going to end well for Usyk.

"But you can say that about any heavyweight who Wilder lands on.

"I just think [Joshua and Fury] are too big for him.

"Fundamentally, he's a much better boxer than all of them, and I include Fury in that, but he's just too small to compete with them for 12 rounds.

"I think the size of Fury and Joshua would be a massive advantage and I don't think Usyk could overcome it."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Dr Steelhammer, Boxing News, Boxing, Oleksandr Usyk, Wladimir Klitschko

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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