Tyson Fury was disappointed by the absence of return fire banter from Oleksandr Usyk today at their kick-off press conference in London for their February 17th undisputed heavyweight bout in Saudi Arabia.
Fury was frustrated by Usyk’s inability to respond to the insults that he was firing at him, as he needed the comments to be translated to him by an interpreter. Tyson (33-0-1, 24 KOs) saw what he was doing to the IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion as an “onslaught” because he couldn’t defend himself.
It will be a one-man show during the entire promotion, with Fury doing everything to build interest in his fight on February 17th. It’ll be the Tyson Fury show, and Usyk will be reduced to a likeless prop, which could make things very, very dull unless the promoters find someone to help him.
WBC champion Fury will need to singlehandedly carry the promotion on his shoulders, as he’s not going to be able to count on Usyk or his promoter, Alex Krassyuk, to help create interest and entertainment for the boxing public. Krassyuk’s English is just a shade better than Usyk’s, so he’s utterly useless.
What Fury needs is someone from Usyk’s team to do the talking for him, kind of like what we saw with strength & conditioning coach Evins Tobler doing the talking for WBC light welterweight champion Regis Prograis during his recent kick-off press conference for his title defense against Devin Haney on December 9th in San Franciso.
Tobler did an excellent job carrying the weight for Prograis, who usually has very little to say other than repetitive comments about how he will knock out Haney.
Fury frustrated by Usyk having nothing to say
“It’s not an exchange when I shout something to somebody, and they don’t say anything. What do you call that? Probably an onslaught,” said Tyson Fury to the media about Oleksandr Usyk today.
“There was no return fire. I’ll tell you what it’s like. Me on my own at the press conference. I just did a round table with him. How are you going to get banter up with a man who doesn’t speak English? He understands only 10% of what I say.
“He has to translate backward and forwards. It’s pointless, but it’s not a talking competition, is it? Obviously, we’re not here to talk. Maybe we should just stay quiet and say nothing,” said Fury.
What did Fury expect from Usyk? He had to have watched the press conferences for Usyk’s fights with Anthony Joshua & Dereck Chisora to understand that he couldn’t contribute any meaningful back-and-forth discussion. It wasn’t as noticeable in the Joshua promotions, though, becaue AJ has no personality.
“Just give him a boxing lesson. Anyway, I want to win this fight, I can win it,” said Fury about Usyk. “I’ll fight one fight at a time and make a ton of money, more than I’ve already got,” said Tyson when asked what he’ll do next after the Usyk fight.
Giving Usyk a boxing lesson isn’t likely for Fury because he’s not as fast, agile, or as skilled as him. The way Fury wins this fight is by crushing Usyk with his size and taking advantage of his weight to maul him at every opportunity.
Fury couldn’t do that with Francis Ngannou, as he was stronger and a better wrestler. There was no weight advantage for Fury against the 272 lb Ngannou for him to utilize, and when he did tie him up, he was getting the far worst of it most of the time.
“You’ll have to wait and see. That’s why it’s PPV,” said Fury when asked how his fight with Usyk will play out on February 17th. “I don’t care what they say,” said Fury about the people that “slate” him.”One, they’re not rich like me. Two, they’re not good-looking like me. Three, they’re not world heavyweight champion.
Tyson takes credit for December 23rd event
“Without the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, boxing is dead at the moment, especially for the heavyweights. You got to be very, very lucky that I made this possible on the 23rd,” said Fury about the Anthony Joshua & Deontay Wilder card on December 23rd in Saudi Arabia.
“Without me, they wouldn’t even be boxing on the 23rd. Not because I wasn’t boxing on the 23rd, because I made this happen on the 23rd. In reality, they’re all workmen for me. Would you all believe that Wilder & Joshua are dossers for me now?
“Stay away from the right hand, and that’s about it,” said Fury about his advice for Joseph Parker in his fight against Deontay Wilder next month. “Joe has got a good chance because he’s been active. He’s had five fights during the time that Wilder has been inactive.
“I’ve suffered from inactivity loads of time, and it’s not a good thing. Who cares about Joshua or Wilder. They’re nobodies. Nobody really cares. I don’t care. If someone slates a world champion boxer. How many world champions have you won? Where are you now? So, I don’t listen to what people say.
“Yeah, he’s a 75-kilo boxer as an amateur. That’s the facts,” said Fury when asked if he still views Usyk as a middleweight. That’s not me making it up. Go and have a look. That’s factual, by the way.”
On February 17th, Fury will likely outweigh Usyk by 50+ lbs inside the ring, and that’s going to be a significant advantage for him if he can use it by leaning on him and wrestling.
The weight advantage for Fury doesn’t translate to power, though, as he punches more like a cruiserweight than a heavyweight, but if he can turn the fight into a grappling contest, he’ll wear Usyk down in no time.
Fury is a good body puncher, and he could enjoy a lot of success if he targets Usyk’s body. Daniel Dubois had Usyk rolling around in pain on the canvas after hitting him to the midsection in the fifth round of their fight on August 26th.
