Tyson Fury says Oleksandr Usyk is ‘bigger than Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson’ as he defends rival and compares him to historic heavyweight champions

Tyson Fury has told talkSPORT that Oleksandr Usyk's size should not be held against him as they prepare to meet in an undisputed heavyweight world title fight.

Fury stopped Derek Chisora in their trilogy clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night and is now eyeing a clash with Usyk for all the belts in 2023.

The Ukrainian was undisputed cruiserweight champion back in 2018 and has since moved up to heavyweight with the aim of repeating the feat.

Usyk completed the first part of this job in style, twice outpointing Anthony Joshua to reign as the WBA, IBF and WBO champion.

Fury holds the elusive WBC crown which Usyk needs to complete his collection and round off an historic career.

In recent months, the Gypsy King has blasted his rival as a 'midget' and branded him a 'middleweight' (the division he used to compete in as a teenage amateur) during trash talk.

On talkSPORT Breakfast on Thursday though, Fury dropped this attack and spoke more seriously as he instead defended his potential rival.

"Listen it is boxing and styles do make fights," he began.

"He's beat a big guy before, AJ - 6ft 6ins - I'm not that much taller than him.

"I've been searching the world, I've travelled all over, to find a challenger who can beat me, and I can't find one. 14 years...

"Usyk's about 6ft 3ins and just under 16 stone.

"He's a pretty big boy, he's a lot bigger than Muhammad Ali was back in the day.

"He's bigger than Evander Holyfield, he's bigger than Mike Tyson, he's bigger than Joe Frazier, he's bigger than Ken Norton.

"He's probably the same size as 'big' George Foreman.

"Everybody used to say 'big' George Foreman, now they're saying 'little tiny' Usyk at the same weight and size."

Time will tell if Usyk is big enough to dethrone the 6ft 9ins Fury.

But we shouldn't have long to wait with talks between the two parties close to being finalised.