‘There’s eight belts in one fight’: Fury ready to make history against Usyk
Tyson Fury says Oleksandr Usyk will ‘be found wanting’ when he steps into the ring with him on May 18.
As we head towards a May 18 undisputed heavyweight title unification between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, Fury holds his own press conference to discuss the fight. Here Fury doesn’t disparage Usyk’s ability as a fighter, and instead just gives his plain take on why Usyk will prove to be too small to beat him. Check out some of what Fury had to say down below.
Fury on how difficult it was to deal with the postponement of his fight with Usyk due to his cut
“At first I was a little bit depressed for the first day or so. But afterwards, like all things in life, I realized God’s timing is impeccable, perfect. It’s not late, it’s not early, but it’s bang on time. So it wasn’t my time to fight for the championship then, but it is going to be my time on May the 18th. So I’m really preparing fantastic for it.”
On fighting for all four major world titles
“I read a lot of comments of people saying ‘ah, there’s four belts [on the line.’ Let’s just get this one clear right now, there’s a lot more than four belts on the line. You’ve got the IBO, IBF, WBO, WBA, WBC, Ring magazine, and lineal. So for all you motherfuckers out there who thought it was four, correction, it’s seven.
“The Riyadh season belt, I stand corrected. Eight. There’s eight belts in one fight, that’s got to be a record.”
On Usyk having very little to say during their opening press conference
“He doesn’t speak English, for one...It’s very difficult to speak to an encyclopedia in boxing who speaks fluent English when you speak broken English...no one has ever competed with me in speaking, especially not some foreign man that speaks broken English.
“I’ve seen some stuff in the media like this is really personal between me and Oleksandr Usyk. It’s not personal, it’s strictly business for both fighters. There’s a lot of stuff on the line and all that, but I don’t hate him, he don’t hate me. He’s a good husband, a good God-fearing man so I respect him as a man. As a fighter he’s undisputed cruiserweight champion, he’s unified heavyweight champion, so anyone would have to respect that man’s achievements.”
On how he rates Usyk
“Good fighter, I’ve got a tough challenge in front of me, but I’m very confident in my ability and I’m confident I’ll beat the guy. But that’s not to say he’s shit just because he loses to me.
“My personal opinion of it we have weight divisions for a reason. And with my being an encyclopedia on boxing and I’ve studied every heavyweight, cruiserweight that’s ever lived, when the cruiserweights step up to the big boys usually they get found wanting. And even the greatest cruiserweight that’s ever lived Evander Holyfield, when he stepped up to the big boys in ‘Big Daddy’ Bowe and Lennox Lewis, he was found wanting.
“You can beat the average big ones but you can’t beat the elite big one because size really matters and we have weight divisions for a reason and he’s going to be found wanting when he fights me on May the 18th.”