OLEKSANDR USYK has called on Tyson Fury to agree to face him in a fight fans will remember for ‘20, 30 or 40 years’.
Usyk puts his WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF titles on the line against Daniel Dubois in Wroclaw, Poland on Saturday night in his first outing for more than a year.
The 36-year-old came close to an agreement to box Tyson Fury earlier in 2023 but talks broke down after a disagreement regarding a purse split for the contracted rematch.
Once that undisputed showdown with the WBC heavyweight champion fell through, Usyk pressed ahead with the mandatory challenge of Dubois but, as that encounter approaches, the Ukrainian still admits he ‘needs’ the Gypsy King.
Fury has not boxed since stopping Dereck Chisora in December, which was one of only two fights he has had since he beat Deontay Wilder in their trilogy fight in October 2021. However, Fury will not defend his WBC title this year as he is instead set to fight Francis Ngannou in a non-title exhibition in Saudi Arabia in October.
Usyk said: “Fury is beautiful and funny. I don’t think about him at all, I just need to meet him in the ring.
“I need him, the WBC belt is just additional motivation but me and him just need to fight. Fans and people will talk about our fight for 20, 30, 40 years. We need to fight.”
With the conflict between Ukraine and Russia still ongoing, Usyk cannot fight in his home country but will be backed by the large contingent of Ukrainians who live in Wroclaw.
He also knows his victory will bring joy to a nation still torn apart by the war.
He added: “That city has a large Ukrainian community and it has a boxing history. Vitali Klitschko boxed Tomasz Adamek there and there are a lot of boxing fans there. There are also a lot of MMA fighters from there.
“I pray every day for the lord to give me more understanding of what is going on in Ukraine.
I don’t want to be angry at people, I want to love this world as it is. If I can bring my people just a little bit of enjoyment, I would fight everyday. Because of where they are, they don’t have anything else to do, or look at, other than fighting for freedom. But we are going to get that freedom.”