Tyson Fury's undisputed world heavyweight title fight against Oleksandr Usyk has been confirmed on February 17; Fury puts his WBC title at stake against Usyk, who is the WBA, IBF and WBO champion, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Friday 17 November 2023 06:05, UK
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk butted heads and had to be pulled apart following a fiery press conference to confirm their undisputed heavyweight world title fight on February 17.
The pair came face to face at a press conference in London on Thursday evening, confirming the long-awaited clash in Saudi Arabia early next year between WBC champion Fury and WBO, IBF and WBA unified king Usyk.
The pair were involved in a tense face-off which saw them have to be separated, on the back of a press conference where 'The Gypsy King' lit the fuse for the showdown in Riyadh.
Interrupting a speech by Usyk's promoter Alexander Krassyuk, Fury took aim at both the K2 Promotions boss and the Ukrainian's manager Egis Klimas, and vowed to relieve him of his belts in the same way he did to compatriot Wladimir Klitschko back in 2015.
"You're welcome to be sharing a ring with the future undisputed heavyweight champion - me," Fury said. "You are all dossers, he's getting knocked out, and you two [Krassyuk and Klimas] are going to be working for me carrying my bags, so remember I said that on this stage.
"I already relieved one Ukrainian of all the belts and I'll relieve that idiot of all the belts I gave him, including that Ring Magazine I only vacated last year so I could win it back three times, sausage.
"You know what's coming, you're getting smashed to pieces. You're fighting the best British heavyweight there's ever been. You beat all the rest of them, but you ain't beat Tyson Fury, sausage."
Usyk's most recent defence saw him come through the challenge of Britain's Daniel Dubois. Fury was expected to fight Usyk to unify all the belts on December 23, but had a harder than expected 10-rounder with Francis Ngannou, a former UFC champion who was boxing professionally for the first time.
He was still committed to the Usyk fight and now they have settled on a date for early in the new year, with every major heavyweight belt at stake along with the status of undisputed champion.
Fury ripped the WBC belt from Deontay Wilder in 2020 with a knockout win and repeated this result in the 2021 rematch before defending his title with stoppage wins over Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora last year.
Usyk unified three titles with a unanimous decision win over Anthony Joshua in September 2021, then followed up with a split decision victory over Joshua in August 2022.
Speaking with Krassyuk translating for him, the 36-year-old Olympic gold medallist channelled a biblical tale to explain why he believes he, not Fury, will become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis 24 years ago.
"I want to tell one story which looks very similar to our story with Tyson, about David and Golliath," Usyk said. "When the Lord gives me Tyson in my hands, I will make my job.
"The Lord has nothing impossible."
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