Tyson Fury asserts that Oleksandr Usyk lacks the size necessary to challenge him in their upcoming undisputed heavyweight world title bout.
Fury, aged 35 and hailing from Britain, currently holds the WBC championship, while Usyk, aged 36 and representing Ukraine, possesses the WBA, WBO, and IBF titles.
Fury expressed his belief that the former cruiserweight champion Usyk will fall short in their match on May 18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“You can beat the average big ones but you can’t beat the elite big ones,” he said.
“Size is what really matters and we have weight divisions for a reason.”
A former undisputed cruiserweight champion, Usyk defeated British boxer Anthony Joshua to claim the unified heavyweight championship in 2021.
The most recent undisputed heavyweight champion was Britain’s Lennox Lewis in 1999. The forthcoming Fury-Usyk bout will mark the first occasion in the four-belt era where every title is up for grabs.
The February fight was postponed after Fury sustained a cut in a bizarre sparring accident just two weeks before the scheduled bout.
Fury, describing himself as a “boxing encyclopedia,” mentioned several cruiserweight legends, including Evander Holyfield and David Haye, who experienced defeat upon transitioning to the heavyweight division.
He criticized Usyk’s past opponents, such as Britain’s Daniel Dubois, suggesting they possessed “limited ability.”
“If Tyson Fury can’t beat Usyk, Tyson’s no good. End of,” he said.
“This is my time, my destiny, my era and my generation. Facts.”
After his manager, trainer and promoter predicted a knockout win for Fury, he ended the news conference by joking that Usyk would knock him out in the first round.
Fury’s co-promoter Frank Warren said the fight is the “biggest of the 21st Century”.