Former world cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew has told William Hill’s podcast Up Front that he would fancy Oleksandr Usyk to beat Tyson Fury if the two heavyweight world champions face each other later this year.

The two unbeaten boxers were in deep negotiations earlier this year, but they were unable to reach an agreement on the terms.

Bellew, who suffered a knockout loss to Usyk in 2018, believes the talented Ukrainian is good enough to outbox the bigger man.

“I think he [Tyson Fury] is easier to beat now, only for a couple of fighters, but bear in mind one of those is Oleksandr Usyk. Make no mistake, Tyson Fury is the best heavyweight in the world right now, but I do now think he is more susceptible to lose to Oleksandr Usyk [if they were to fight later this year]," Bellew told host Simon Jordan.

“He does everyone mentally; he breaks them mentally first. But the one person he will not break and will never break is Usyk. Tyson Fury’s style went from a style where he was awkward, slippery, big and quick to now being an aggressive, front-footed, counter-punching heavy hitter and the second one plays into Oleksandr Usyk’s hands.

“The Tyson Fury that defeated Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 is an impossible guy to beat, he’s six foot eight or nine, he’s 20 stone, he’s moving like a light heavyweight and he’s got really fast hands. He’s making you miss and he’s causing you problems. That’s impossible to deal with.”

Another possible year-end opponent for Fury is former two-time world champion Anthony Joshua.

Bellew believes the current version of Fury has the clear edge to get the win in that fight.

“I think for Fury against Anthony Joshua, it would be harder for Joshua to beat this current version of Fury than it would be the old version. Because Joshua would have got close, and he would’ve been allowed to punch. Now Joshua is not going to get the luxury of getting close without getting nailed hard on the way in," Bellew said.

Fury is reportedly being steered to a ring return in the month of July, while Usyk appears to be heading to a mandatory defense against Daniel Dubois in the summer.