Tyson Fury isn’t giving anything away as he prepares for a rematch against Oleksandr Usyk (Image: Getty)
As revealed that preparation for big fights sickens him, , who clashes with the Ukrainian in December, sat motionless. This February, one of the most highly-anticipated heavyweight boxing clashes in recent time, billed as the Ring of Fire, saw WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO champion Usyk look to claim undisputed status when facing with WBC champ Fury.
Usyk, knocking Fury down in the ninth and almost finishing the Englishman off, won the bout via split decision, becoming the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis – though this title was lost in June after he was forced to give up his IBF belt.
Now, as the two are set to do battle again in Riyadh on December 21, it seems as though the downed Fury wants to give little away to his outspoken opponent.
Usyk beat Fury via split decision in February (Image: Getty)
Speaking in a video interview face-to-face with Fury ahead of the clash, Usyk opened up about how he comes alive when entering the ring, downplaying the importance of training and preparing for a main event.
“When I come the ring, I live there. Tyson too I think,” Usyk began, with Fury nodding in agreement. ”When fighters go to the ring, there is more life. Preparation (gagging noise), training (gagging noise) – watch us fight,” he told TNT Sports.
However, despite nodding prior, Fury could be seen sitting entirely still, staring into the camera as Usyk made it clear that the prep and training behind such a momentous bout were the least of his worries.
“I was scared of him.” Fury joked. “That’s why I didn’t look at him,” he added when replays of the last fight’s weigh-in were shown. As footage of him showboating in the face of Usyk against the ropes appeared, Fury continued: “It was great, brilliant, you know I enjoyed it, 35,000 inside Riyadh Season, it was unbelievable and a great experience to be in there. It was a lot of fun.”
Usyk, when questioned whether the silent Fury showed him respect, stated: “Listen, I’m respect. I know Tyson, for me, respect.” Further prompted about what it was like to emerge and face Fury in the ring, Usyk muttered in Ukrainian: “Just calm.”
“I didn’t want to damage him,” he continued, shown footage of Fury hurt. “I know the game of boxing. After the fight, he would go back to his family. For this reason, there’s no need to hurt him.”
Usyk will enter the second fight against Fury as the favourite to retain his range of belts. Though, if this face-off is anything to go by, the Englishman will look to keep his cards close to his chest as he aims to stage an upset.