World heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and challenger Tyson Fury came face-to-face in London this evening to promote their December 21 contest in Saudi Arabia, a rematch of their Fight of the Year contender in May.
Usyk did not have much to say at the top table, and Fury followed his lead after the fighters made a few brief statements.
“It’s actually been about four and a half years,” Fury said of the last time he felt he wasn’t the favorite going into a fight. “Last time was the [Deontay] Wilder II fight when I was the underdog. What’s going through my mind? I’m just looking forward to a fantastic fight. Last time in May it was a fantastic fight. Oleksandr won the fight fair and square. [I’m] just looking to put on a great fight again. It was very close last time; he got it by a point. A little bit more focus, a little bit more lack of complacency and I should do the job I need to do. Nothing drastic has to change. A bit more of the same. A bit more focus, like I say, and I will be victorious.
“I believe it will be my time next time and I believe all things that happen, negative or positive, are lessons. We must learn from the things we go through in our lives, and we can only do the best we can do as human beings and as boxers and as fathers and as husbands. We can only do the best we can do as men. And what we know how to do best is go in there and knock fuck out of each other in a fight and put on a show for the paying customer.”
Usyk, dressed as the Hitman from the video game of that name, seemed comfortable and happy but said very little.
“What is my motivation?” he asked. “I don’t have motivation. Only my regime, only my concentration. This is my motivation. Enough.”
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