RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Tyson Fury believes he is the best.
Is it from this era?
“This is the best I've ever had,” Fury said.
Fury is speaking on the sofa in his hotel room, where the cool air indoors provides a reprieve from the scorching Saudi heat. His son, Prince John, is also lying next to him. Fury says family is important to him. Boxing is just a business. “I'm here to get paid, have sex, and get out of here,” Fury told me…and so did every news outlet that asked him. When the battle is over, Fury heads straight back to Morecambe, a seaside town on the English coast, where he walks his dogs, plays with his children, and lives what he calls a quiet life behind high walls. .
“I consider myself number one of all men,” Fury says. “Because I'm not interested in other people. I don't want to be judged in comparison to others. All of my heritage and history is completely irrelevant to me. What happens in 60 years is not my concern. . What people say or think or care about is not my concern.”
Are you okay. But Fury is a showman, the PT Barnum of boxing, and there is no bigger stage than the ring inside the Kingdom Arena on Saturday, where Fury will face Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship. to play against. Despite all of boxing's shortcomings, the heavyweight division still attracts intense interest, and the undisputed champion (which this division has not had this century) is the greatest title of them all.
A year ago, Fury seemed destined for that. He was undefeated, having just knocked out Derek Chisora, knocked out Dillian Whyte, and then had consecutive knockouts against Deontay Wilder. He retired several times during that time, but in Fury's case retirement never stuck. Last summer, Fury signed a deal to face former UFC champion Francis Ngannou. This was criticized as Fury's money ploy against an opponent he had no real chance of winning.
It just wasn't the case. Fury seemed uninterested, tipping the scales for him at a career-high weight. And Ngannou's expression was sharp as he made his boxing debut. A left hook dropped Fury in the third round. A series of punches caused cuts on his face.Second half rally by Fury Won by split decision. Although in every other way it felt like a loss.
Fury said a lack of exercise was behind Ngannou's performance, nearly 11 months after his win over Chisora. “Keeping yourself busy and having a date coming up can help you stay focused, stay in shape, and look forward to the event,” says Fury. “But if you've been out of the ring for years and you don't have any dates set, it's very boring and not worth participating in.”
Still, questions arose over Fury's performance. If only age had caught up with him at 35 years old. If years of hard living had worn him out. If his three physical fights with Wilder had taken anything away from him. He was taken off the pound-for-pound list. Ever since Fury decided to fight Chisora, who had been in decline for a long time, many critics have followed his lead.
Meanwhile, Usyk is just quietly moving on. He won the cruiserweight title in 2018, scoring a dominant knockout victory over Tony Bellew the same year. He is 5-0 at heavyweight, with two wins over Anthony Joshua and a stoppage win over Daniel Dubois last year. Usyk, 37, is two years older than Fury. But he looked pretty fresh in the ring.
Fury is no stranger to suspicion. Well, it's familiar territory. Few believed Fury could beat Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. Years later, few thought Fury would ever make a comeback after bulking up to more than 400 pounds during a three-year hiatus. Many thought it was crazy for Fury to challenge Wilder, with only two fights left until his return. Each time, Fury has proven the skeptics wrong.
On Saturday, he plans to try it again. Usyk's team claims Fury will struggle with Usyk's southpaw stance. They point out that Fury has never faced an opponent of Usyk's skill level. They believe the wound in Fury's right eye, which forced the fight to be postponed for three months, will reopen. In the past, oddsmakers would have listed Fury as the favorite to fight Usyk. Now, it's effectively a scramble battle. Fury admitted he was impressed with Usyk. However, he quickly added that Usyk has never faced someone like him.
“I don't think he fought anyone worthy of beating him,” Fury says. “I want to use the jab on him. The jab, the uppercut, the right hand, the left hook, use all the punches effectively. I agree that there are only so many punches you can land on a southpaw. I don't agree with that at all. I agree with the fact that if you set it up right, you can throw any punch you want. And I believe I can do it.”
A chess match between the two men has already begun outside the ring. During Wednesday's media training, Usyk hit the pads from an orthodox stance. When his turn came, Fury worked as a southpaw. After verbally berating Usyk at the press conference announcing the fight several months ago, Fury said little on Thursday and he refused to look at Usyk while being stared at. Usyk, on the other hand, complained about the ring's canvas, claiming his stitches created a trip hazard.
“Don't get me wrong,” Fury says, “I'm here to do demolition work.”
As for his standing among elite heavyweights, that's subjective. There is some consternation among older generations who parachuted into Saudi Arabia this week. Talk about era names, resumes, etc. Still, Fury defeated Klitschko, the undisputed king of the division at the time. He has two wins against Wilder. A win against Usyk, or two wins with both fighters still having rematch clauses, would greatly enhance Fury's resume.
“Everyone will have an opinion,” Fury says.
Certainly, this opinion is likely to change in some way on Saturday.
