With just over two weeks until Tyson Fury’s undisputed and unified heavyweight championship bout against Oleksandr Usyk, the Ukrainian believes he has what it takes to maintain his unbeaten record.
Anticipation is building for one of the biggest fights in boxing history. The bout, which has been dubbed ‘Ring of Fire’, will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia on February 17.
It is the first time that an undisputed heavyweight champion will be crowned since Lennox Lewis’ victory over Evander Holyfield in 1999. After plenty of back-and-forth, it was announced in November that Fury and Usyk had reached an agreement to put all four belts on the line.
WBC champion Fury last defended his belt against Derek Chisora but was most recently in the ring for his split decision win over MMA star Francis Ngannou in October. Usyk, who holds the IBF, WBA and WBO belts, last defended his unified titles against British fighter Daniel Dubois in August.
And the Ukrainian has insisted that full focus remains on that task at hand, rather than Fury himself. The British fighter is renowned for his extravagant way with words, but Usyk plans to block out the outside noise, explaining he has plans for the 35-year-old.
“I really like the Ring belt, it looks good and it means something to me, because it is not easy to get that belt and that ranking,” he told Ring TV. “And there are no sanctioning fees (laughs). I fight for legacy – not money.
“Heavyweight boxing has not had this kind of fight since 1999 (when Evander Holyfield fought Lennox Lewis) and defending the championship is very important to me. I know the history. Winning that belt has been the biggest point of my whole career.
“But I really don’t think about Tyson Fury. I don’t look at the way he acts and what he does. Most of his opponents fell for it. I don’t.
“For me, I focus on how I am, and how I prepare for when I go into the ring. Me and my trainer have watched his fights. We are preparing for everything. We have to watch what he is doing.
“I don’t care about what Fury thinks about me. He can underestimate. He can overestimate me. I don’t care. I have my plans for him. I have advantages over him that he does not know about.”
