Oleksandr Usyk says WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury showed his “bad behavior” at the weigh-in and that he’d been warned ahead of time that he would try and push him during the face-off.
That’s exactly what happened. Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) showed IBF/WBA/WBO champion Usyk in what appeared to be a premeditated move to exert his dominance and intimidate his smaller opponent ahead of their undisputed championship fight on Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Fury’s aggression hinted that he’s trying to compensate for the fear he’s feeling right now. Usyk is by far the best opponent that Fury has ever fought in his 16-year career, and it’s coming at the wrong time for him, showing at age 35, wheels are long gone, and now all he had is his bulk to rely on to lean on opponents.
Usyk Unfazed, Promoter Pissed
Usyk looked unphased by the brief physical display by Fury, but his promoter, Alex Krassyuk, was bothered by it. He didn’t like seeing his fighter Usyk shoved by Fury.
Some may think Fury, 35, is trying every trick in the book to mentally throw Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) before Saturday so that he can gain enough of an edge to win.
If Fury wins this fight, he will scoop up a lot of money, as he could potentially face superstar Anthony Joshua next. But Fury has got to win this fight to earn the huge pot of gold that he’ll get from a match against the former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua.
Usyk’s Calm Before the Storm
“It’s bad behavior. I don’t know [why Tyson Fury pushed him],” said Oleksandr Usyk to Boxing King Media, when asked what happened during the face-off at today’s weigh-in that caused Tyson Fury to shove him. “Don’t be afraid. I will not leave you alone tomorrow. Let your hands talk in the ring.
“The guy pushed Usyk, that’s what I seen,” said promoter Alex Krassyuk about Fury shoving Usyk during the face-off. “Then his team started shouting some stuff, ‘Let fighters do their job,’ because I started to say, ‘Tyson, please behave.’ Maybe in a bit more emotional way but that was it.
“He says Sergey said before the walk-in be cautious because he will push you,” said Krassyuk, saying what Usyk was told by a team member before he faced off with Fury. “There’s no need to find out who is the best. We know who’s the best. The only way, we need to undergo the procedure.”
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