"He is powerful" - Isaac Chamberlain describes what it is like to spar Deontay Wilder and Oleksandr Usyk
Deontay Wilder and Oleksandr Usyk are two of the biggest names and best fighters in the heavyweight division. British cruiserweight contender Isaac Chamberlain has shared the ring with both and discussed the varying challenges each fighter poses.
On Deontay Wilder, Chamberlain said:
"He's powerful, very powerful. I remember I sparred him when I was 19, he hit me with an uppercut. I thought I was back in London. He's a solid puncher. People always say it's his power. It's not really, it's his speed. He's very quick off the mark and he processes very quickly. People don't realize it and people only think he's wild just in general. No, he's only wild when he has you hurt. But he sticks to the basics very well, he's very, very sharp. So, he's better than what people think.”
Deontay Wilder is notorious for his astonishing punchinh power, but Chamberlain suggests Wilder has more than meets the eye. Wilder has knocked out every opponent that he has faced except for ‘The Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury. ‘The Bronze Bomber’ also has an amateur boxing pedigree, as he won an Olympic Bronze medal in 2008.
Watch Deontay Wilder KO Luis Ortiz:
Isaac Chamberlain has also sparred with Oleksandr Usyk
As for WBO, WBA and IBF World Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk, Chamberlain said:
"Those are the top two I would say [I've been in the ring with]. In terms of boxing brain and smarts, it's probably Usyk. In terms of athleticism probably Wilder. He [Usyk] is very smart. It's always a chess match. Usyk is a great guy, he was giving me a lot of advice on what to do and how to develop my boxing skills."
Oleksandr Usyk has showcased his boxing skills throughout his professional career. In the biggest fight of his career, the Ukrainian used those skills to control former champion Anthony Joshua.
Earlier on in his career, against what was supposed to be his biggest test in the then IBF and WBA Cruiserweight Champion Murat Gassiev, Usyk dominated his opponent. Using his superior boxing skills, Usyk completely nullified Gassiev and won a shutout on one of the scorecards.
Watch Oleksandr Usyk face Murat Gassiev here: