Pound for Pound king Oleksandr Usyk discussed his fight with Tyson Fury and why it’s so essential for the whole sport of boxing.
The unified WBA, IBF, and WBO ruler is chasing greatness but seems to have come up against a brick wall when it comes to Fury.
His heavyweight rival has shown considerably less interest in getting the fight over the line than he has for the Deontay Wilder, Dillian Whyte, and Derek Chisora victories.
As fans begin to worry about the pair signing on the dotted line for an undisputed spring collision, Usyk stressed his desire was more vital than ever to face Fury.
Oleksandr Usyk needs the Tyson Fury fight
“I need this fight with Tyson Fury. That’s it. He needs it too,” Usyk told The Overlap in partnership with SkyBet. “The fight is very important for both of us.
“One person hasn’t held all four belts in the heavyweight division for thirty years.”
On what the occasion will mean to him, Usyk added: “This will be like any other fight.
“It’s a big man who has never lost against a man with the WBC belt. Of course, getting carried away is possible, but this is a normal fight for the right to win all the belts.”
Continuing by outlining his strategy for the far bigger man in Fury, Usyk stated: “There will be changes in the strategy for the fight against Tyson, but I’ll continue to prepare in the same way.
“I’ll do lots of training, swimming, running, and boxing. There will be new workouts because Tyson is slightly different.
“He is big and tall, so his combinations and boxing style will be different. There won’t be any less work to do. If anything, there’ll be more of it.”
Undisputed two-weight world champion
If he can triumph over Fury, Usyk will be regarded as the best top-division fighter in recent memory. Moving from cleaning out the cruiserweight limit to doing the same at heavyweight would be an amazing achievement.
Usyk plans to dedicate a win over Fury to the people of his war-torn country – Ukraine.
“I’m not boxing for the belt. I’m boxing for everyone defending our country right now and in memory of those warriors no longer with us.
“Also, for everyone who wants to be free and stood up for their country against those who came to conquer us.”
Asked by host Gary Neville if he plans to hit the man he calls ‘Belly’ Fury in his belly, Usyk replied: “Yes.”
