Tyson Fury laughed off Oleksandr Usyk’s claim that his weight loss is down to nerves ahead of Saturday’s undisputed world heavyweight title clash in Riyadh.
Fury is in lean shape for the meeting between two unbeaten fighters aiming to be crowned the division’s first four-belt king, prompting Usyk to quip “when you’re nervous, you lose weight”.
But the ‘Gypsy King’ hit back when he arrived on stage for the rivals’ first public appearance since arriving in Saudi Arabia.
“I’m very nervous Usyk, please don’t beat me up on Saturday night! Please…extra please!” WBC champion Fury said.
“I predict that somebody’s 0 has got to go and it’s going to be that team over there, unfortunately for them.
“Oleksandr Usyk is a great fighter – Olympic gold medallist, cruiserweight world champion, heavyweight world champion.
“But unfortunately for him he’s coming up against the great Tyson Fury – in the era of me.
“Even if he had 20 million people screaming his name, they cannot fight for him on the night.
“When there are two men in there on the night it’s going to be very daunting when he’s got the undertaker in the ring with him. I’m coming for you sucker.”
The original date for the fight of February 17 fell through when Fury suffered a cut in training but his attempt at becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000 is now just four days away.
The 35-year-old insists seizing the WBA, WBO and IBF belts Usyk won from Anthony Joshua is his “destiny”.
“I cannot wait for Saturday night, it’s going to be epic. If I was fighting an old dosser on Saturday night who had five fights and lost them all, it’s still very important to win,” Fury said.
“Every fight I’ve ever had is important to win. Any six-rounder, eight-rounder, 10-rounder – all of them are important.
“I believe every left and right turn I’ve taken, every time I’ve fallen over, every time I’ve got up – it’s all been leading to this moment. It’s destiny.”
Beginning to sing, Fury added: “It’s written in the stars, a million miles away. Get up!”
Fury’s dad John attend the ‘Grand Arrivals’ event that officially launches fight week and was on best behaviour after headbutting a member of Usyk’s entourage on Monday.
The incident that took place during a stand-off between the rival camps left Fury Sr with blood pouring down his face and he has since apologised.
Usyk revealed he ordered his entourage not to react to the provocation, preventing the confrontation from escalating further.
“I said, ‘hey, Team Usyk, step back, please’. My team is very good if you want to fight. Not boxing but street, shooting, knives, wrestling,” he said.
“But I said: ‘hey guys, please back.’ We must do good behaviour.”
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe