Tyson Fury had a déjà vu moment when he heard the claim that all the heavyweight titles were returning to Ukraine.
That was the claim made by Alex Krassyuk, the career-long promoter of Oleksandr Usyk who owns the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight belts. All will be on the line as will Fury’s lineal and WBC crown in their February 17 undisputed championship clash in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“I’ve already relieved one Ukrainian of all the belts,” Fury noted during their kickoff press conference Thursday at OVO Arena Wembley in London. “I’m about to relieve another idiot of the belts I gave him! Including the Ring magazine that I only vacated last year so I can win it back three times, sausage. I’m gonna bust him, sausage. Ugly little man.”
Wladimir Klitschko was the ‘one Ukrainian’ to whom Fury (34-0-1, 24KOs) referred. The unbeaten Brit travelled to Dusseldorf, Germany to end Klitschko’s nearly ten-year heavyweight title reign of at least one title when he claimed a twelve-round, unanimous decision victory to claim the lineal championship and WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO belts.
Fury’s stay as champ ended in disgrace, when he was ultimately relieved of his titles for failure to defend. An injury and subsequent positive drug test postponed and canceled plans for their rematch, while a positive drug test from his win over Christian Hammer predating the Klitschko win earned a backdated two-year suspension.
The second and current championship reign enjoyed by Fury began with a February 2020 stoppage win over Deontay Wilder in their rematch to claim the WBC title. He has defended his championship three times along with a win over Francis Ngannou in their October 28 novelty fight in Riyadh. Fury survived a third-round knockdown to take a ten-round decision, though his WBC title was not on the line and thus not at risk.
His championship is at stake versus Usyk (21-0, 14KOs), a Ukrainian southpaw who attempts his third defense as a unified heavyweight titlist after he previously reigned as undisputed cruiserweight champ. Naturally, Fury sees things ending disastrously for his future ring rival in the first undisputed heavyweight championship of the 21st century.
“You know what’s coming, you’re getting smashed to pieces, sausage.,” instead Fury .”You’re fighting the best British heavyweight that’s ever been. The f—-in’ Dauntless in these waters. You beat all the rest of them, but you ain’t beat Tyson Fury.
“Look at him, his heart’s pounding now. He’s like a little p-ssy with an earring in. Sh!thouse. His bollocks have shriveled up. F—in’ sausage.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. X (formerly Twitter): @JakeNDaBox