Fury & Usyk Ready To Clash For All Belts

By: Gyang Dakwo

In some hours, an undisputed heavyweight champion will be crowned for the first time in nearly 25 years, as WBC champion Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) battles WBO/IBF/WBA champ Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) and Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) will vie to become the division’s first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis scaled the mountaintop in 1999.

However the expected and anticipated faceoff did not happen at the pre-match press conference. Fury refused to look Usyk in the eyes, facing forward to the crowd. The intensity, however, was palpable. After many years of expectation, the fight is almost here.

Here’s what Fury and Usyk said at Thursday’s press conference:

Tyson Fury

“I’m going to make this short and simple. I want to thank God for the victory that I’ve received already. And I want to thank everyone involved for putting this massive event on. I want to thank Usyk for turning up and challenging me. And that’s about it. Thank you to all the fans that traveled over to support me, because I know it’s tough times at the moment and money is hard. So, I aim to put on a show.”

Oleksandr Usyk

“I’m excited. I’m grateful for His Excellency, the reason this fight happened. Let’s make history! The Fury fight is a big event for me, my family and my country. I can’t wait. I’m not thinking about the knockout. My focus is on boxing. If I can, it will be a knockout. If not, it will be a 12-round win.”