We are just 10 days out from Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk for all of the heavyweight marbles, and the mind games are ramping up.
On Saturday May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, these two elite big men will battle to give boxing’s marquee weight class its first undisputed ruler since a certain Lennox Lewis a quarter of a century ago.
The road to this moment has been a long one, made even longer by that postponement from February when Fury sustained a cut eye in sparring. But now, here we are, with the mental side of this battle set to play a huge part.
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Fury (34-0-1) will have a massive size advantage – set to outweigh the former undisputed cruiserweight king by more than 50lbs or three stones come fight night. But Usyk is an incredible boxer with incredible skills and fighting heart, and he too is unbeaten in the paid ranks and looking to emulate the achievements of the great Evander Holyfield back in the 1990s.
We are now deep into interview season, with both fighters speaking exclusively to the various broadcasters – remember the bout will air on DAZN, Sky Sports and TNT Sports in the UK, and DAZN and ESPN in the United States.
The latest nugget from these interviews came when Fury did a sit-down with DAZN, and the streaming platform showed him a message just for him, from that man.
Fury nonplussed by Usyk message
The Ukrainian looked into the camera and said quite simply: “Hey, my friend, don’t be afraid, I will not leave you alone,” before blowing a kiss as he disappeared from shot. For once Fury, the arch showman and trash talker, was not quite sure what to make of it. His response? “What does that mean? Don’t be afraid, I won’t leave you alone?”
A little later Fury was told exactly what the message meant – and the source was a man who the Morecambe has crossed swords with before – Usyk’s manager Egis Klimas. Remember their angry back and forth after that postponement in February.
Klimas reposted the clip on X, with the simply words: “It’s meant you’re f***ed”.
Now we wait patiently for fight week, which should be quite a scene in Riyadh as the Saudi money men behind heavyweight boxing’s boom put on the biggest show of all.
They are calling it ‘The Ring of Fire’ and it should be an epic clash of styles between a brilliant big man and a little man who is just as good. The betting suggests it will be close, and it’s difficult to pick between the pair. Buckle up, get the popcorn ready, and enjoy the ride. It promises to be very special.
