WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine champion Oleksandr Usyk 21-0 (14) is expecting a different version of WBC titleholder Tyson Fury 34-0-1 (24) than the one who was help to a split draw by boxing debutant Francis Ngannou 0-2 last October.
In that fight Fury was surprised by Ngannou’s boxing ability. The 37-year-old former UFC heavyweight champion from Cameroon dropped Fury with a left hook in the third round of their 10-round non-title bout before losing a split decision.
Ukrainian southpaw Usyk, 37, will face Fury at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 18 on a card billed as ‘Ring of Fire’. He is not expected the same version of the 35-year-old Brit to turn up for that fight.
“Tyson Fury will be different with my fight because it’s my opinion Tyson Fury, when boxing with Francis Ngannou, maybe [he was thinking] it’s a UFC guy, blah, blah, blah,” Usyk said to Seconds Out.
“’I win, it’s an easy fight.’ It’s my opinion. I don’t know. Maybe it’s true, maybe not, but I know that Tyson Fury will be different with me.”
Usyk says he has no doubt the bout will take place as planned after the original date of February 17 was postponed when Fury suffered a cut in sparring a couple of weeks out from the bout.
“No, I’m not thinking about this [the fight not happening],” Usyk said. “I don’t because I think the fight will [happen].
“My focus is my training. My focus is my family. My focus is my team. I’ve not used Instagram never, now. Now it’s bad for me. It’s a waste of time.
“I read my books, I speak with my family… My focus is my camp. I don’t read the news, I don’t watch the world news, I’m only here. It’s my preparation. My focus is only May 18, only Ring of Fire.”
Usyk also spoke about his experience facing Anthony Joshua 28-3 (25) twice, who he claimed the unified championship by unanimous points decision in September 2021.
After their rematch almost 12 months later, which Usyk won by split decision, Joshua took the microphone in the ring and delivered a rambling monologue that many fans and pundits believed robbed Usyk of his moment in the spotlight.
Usyk confirmed that Joshua had sent him his apologies through Ukrainian former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
“Yes, definitely,” Usyk said. “Listen, I don’t have bad feelings about Joshua because I respect this man. He’s a great man, a great boxer, a great person, Olympic champion, two-time world champion, but I think it’s emotion. You know, I respect this man, no problem.”
As for how the Fury fight will ultimately play out, Usyk says the only thing on his mind is coming away victorious.
“If I can do a KO, I will, if I can do 12 rounds, I do 12 rounds. My goal is to win. How it will be, it’s God’s will,” he said.
“My strategy is win. Enough.”
