Fury and Usyk will clash for all four heavyweight belts in Saudi Arabia on May 18, over a year since they were first due to meet in the ring
Tyson Fury was left baffled after Oleksandr Usyk sent him a message just days before the rivals finally meet in the ring.
Fury and Usyk will clash in Saudi Arabia on Saturday week to crown the first undisputed heavyweight world champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999. The pair were first pencilled in to fight at Wembley last April before December and February dates also fell by the wayside.
READ MORE NEWS :Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk: Timing, pricing, booking details for undisputed heavyweight showdown on Saturday May 18
But the first bell will finally ring in 10 days’ time and Usyk made sure to tell Fury he will see him in Riyadh. “Hey, my friend. Don’t be afraid, I will not leave you alone,” he said on a documentary ahead of the clash. When Fury was shown the message, he asked: “What does that even mean? Don’t be afraid I won’t leave you alone?”
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set to lock horns in a huge bout on May 18 with each fighter attempting to etch their name in boxing history as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999. The stakes couldn’t be higher as the pair will go head to head for the prestigious WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF titles.
JUST IN :Anthony Joshua predicts phenomenal rival to win Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk fight
Fury has, however, admitted he faces a tough task later this month if he is to remain undefeated. “Oleksandr Usyk’s a real bad man and to underestimate Usyk you’d be a mug,” he told Queensberry Promotions. “So I’m training hard for him, I’m doing everything I can. I respect Usyk as a man. I respect his career as well – Olympic champion, undisputed cruiserweight champion, unified heavyweight champion.
“You have to respect that, I’m not fighting some guy who’s had 14 and won 11. I’m fighting the real deal – as real deal as Holyfield. I’m looking forward to the challenge. He’s a southpaw, he’s got good footwork so they say, good boxing ability, technically sound. He’s proved he can mix it with the big heavyweights because he’s beat Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois. I’m messing with an elite fighter.”
RELATED NEWS :TYSON FURY WILL BE CHASING A GHOST OLEKSANDR USYK BACKED TO WIN UNDISPUTED HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHT BY TONY BELLEW
And Fury’s promoter Frank Warren has no doubts about his fighter’s mentality. “I’m confident we are going to get a vintage performance, I spoke to him during the week,” he told talkSPORT. “He’s in a very good shape I think, and although he had that cut it has come good as he has had back-to-back camps.
