The countdown to that Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk showdown is well and truly on, judging by some of the wild rumours making it out onto the internet in the past few days.
The latest sees world cruiserweight king Jay Opetaia’s team taking to social media to respond to ‘rumours’ that he had dropped ‘The Gypsy King’ during sparring ahead of that February 17 superfight.
Fury (34-0-1) is preparing in Saudi Arabia for the Riyadh showdown, and he has been sparring a number of southpaws in a bid to crack the Usyk code – including Opetaia and young heavyweight sensation Moses Itauma.
Opetaia team on Fury ‘rumours’
IBF and Ring magazine king Opetaia (24-0 with 19 wins inside distance) showcased his elite power when demolishing Ellis Zorro inside a round on that massive ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in Riyadh last month. But now he’s been dealing with another challenge – those ‘rumours’ circulating about his sparring with the WBC and lineal heavyweight king.
A statement from Opetaia’s co-promoters Tasman Fighters confirmed that Fury and Opetaia had sparred, but denied categorically that either man was dropped during the sessions.
The statement read: “Jai Opetaia has recently returned from Saudi Arabia where he sparred and trained with Tyson Fury. They were fantastic, competitive rounds and an incredible experience for Jai. However any talk of either boxing being dropped is not true.
“Jai is now back in Australia finalising his prepration to defend his world title and cannot wait to do so in Saudi Arabia.”
