CARL FROCH has doubted Oleksandr Usyk’s rumoured weight gain will increase his punch power.
Amir Khan raised eyebrows when he claimed Usyk had put on over TWO STONE during training for his rematch with Anthony Joshua.
But Froch, 45, said: “Possibly he might be thinking that if ‘I put some weight on that my punch is going to have a little bit more impact’.
“But it’s the fast punches that hurt more and the timing of the punch because it’s not always the weight.
“Look at Prince Naseem Hamed, he was a featherweight, and he could punch like a heavyweight, Julian Jackson, you go over the history, you can either punch or you can’t and putting weight on doesn’t make you punch harder.
“Obviously there’s more weight behind the punch but an actual hard punch doesn’t come from having bigger biceps or bigger lats or whatever.
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“Usyk knows this, he’s not stupid, he’s a master. He’s got an honorary degree and how many masters in boxing.”
Usyk, 35, outclassed Joshua, 32, over 12 rounds last September after weighing in at 15st 11lb.
But in training material heading into the rematch on Saturday in Saudi Arabia, the Ukrainian appeard to have bulked up.
And if the ex-undisputed cruiserweight king is to have piled on the pounds, Froch believes it would have happened naturally.
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He said: “I think it’s a natural progression, a natural development of someone that is 35 years old.
“I put a bit of weight on when I retired at 36, I’m sitting here at 14 stone.
“I was two stone lighter when I boxed, where has two stone gone off me now.
“I just think that Usyk’s getting bigger because he’s not making cruiserweight anymore.
“He’s up to heavyweight, he’s eating what he wants which is a good thing.
“So naturally, with his age and with his diet now and with his training, he’ll being doing some more weights.
“He’ll be doing some more compound exercises like deadlifts and clean and press – well he should be if his strength and conditioning coach knows what he’s doing.
“So, he’ll naturally get bigger, he’s probably put a stone on, he’s not put two stone on. I don’t think it’s going to be a massive advantage or disadvantage.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
