Oleskandr Usyk’s promoter, Alexander Krassyuk, spoke to World Boxing News exclusively to decipher a recent press conference by Tyson Fury.
During a London event last week, Fury addressed the media confidently and promised to defeat Usyk when the pair collide for the undisputed heavyweight title on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
One of the talking points at the gathering was Turki Alalshikh. The Saudi Chairman called into the presser and stated his admiration for British boxers. He also added that he wanted Tyson to fight many more times for the Kingdom, leading to claims of potential Saudi favoritism.
WBN asked Krassyuk about this and whether he was concerned about Alalshikh’s seemingly close relationship with ‘The Gypsy King’ ahead of next month’s battle.
“His Excellency mentioned that British fighters were the best in the world. But he omitted the fact that the future Undisputed Heavyweight Champion had a Ukrainian passport,” Krassyuk told World Boxing News in an exclusive interview.
“Mr. Alalshikh is a great, honorable man and a big fan of boxing. It is his right to choose his favorite in the biggest fight of the century. We respect him a lot and trust that this boxing match will be contested at the highest level of integrity and sportsmanship. However, we have taken care of the selection of the officials. It will be made on mutual approval.”
Another topic of discussion was the fact Fury had whipped himself into shape following his battle with Francis Ngannou last October. The Morecambe man is ripped compared to his effort on the scales against the former UFC champion.
WBN asked the promoter if he thought Fury might have overprepared due to his opponent being a formidable one in WBA, WBO, and IBF ruler Usyk.
“Luke has gotten us all so used to his lack of fitness that now losing a few kilos of extra weight makes us think he’s in great shape,” he pointed out.
“Conditioning is the key. And I really hope he can make it to the highest possible limit. We want Usyk’s victory not to be tarnished by Tyson’s lack of preparation.
“For this reason, Oleksandr agreed to give him time to recover after his poor performance with Nganou [their fight had to happen in December 2023] and after his cut before February 17.”
That ailment pushed the fight back three months to this new marker of May 18. Boxing fans are now a month away from seeing who will follow Lennox Lewis as the sport’s next top-division four-belt titleholder.
A rematch clause remains in place. However, doubts are already creeping in about Fury invoking his rights should he lose for the first time in his professional career.
Any chance of Usyk stepping aside to allow Anthony Joshua to face Fury, no matter the result, has already been brushed off by Krassyuk in a previous article with WBN.
According to Krassyuk, a second fight only doesn’t happen if Fury moves on to AJ in defeat. Usyk would then be free to complete several mandatories already in the pipeline.
Read all articles and learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor Phil Jay. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
