OLEKSANDR USYK has joined Dillian Whyte and Anthony Joshua in calling Tyson Fury “Luke”.
The unbeaten champions are in talks for the heavyweight division’s first ever four-belt unification next year.
ReutersTyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are in talks to fight[/caption]
And the war of words has already started, as Usyk called Fury by his middle name.
He said on his YouTube channel: “When cameras are off he’s a different person.
“When cameras are on he’s Tyson Fury, when they’re off he’s Luke Fury.”
The WBC champion lists his full name as Tyson Luke Fury, having been named after heavyweight legend Mike Tyson.
But Whyte claimed his team have evidence that he switched his Christian names around to sound like the Baddest Man on the Planet.
Whyte told SunSport in 2020: “My real name is Dillian. I know his real name is Luke. He changed it to Tyson to make himself sound harder.
“People can have a little look around on the internet and see for themselves. In boxing, the name Tyson is a lot more sellable than Luke.
“A lot of what Tyson does and says is a game, you can never take anything he says seriously or at face value.
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“How can you trust a man who doesn’t even use his own name?”
Joshua followed up with a dig of his own last year, as he tweeted Fury: “You’re a good kid, don’t play with me Luke!
“I’ll slap your bald head & you’ll do nothing! Waste man.”
Usyk, 35, twice beat Joshua, 33, to win and then retain the WBA, IBF and WBO titles.
Fury, 34, defended his WBC belt against Whyte, 34, and then Derek Chisora in their recent trilogy bout.
And it has set him up for a historic unification against Usyk next year, with talks ongoing.
The pair faced off after Fury’s tenth-round stoppage win against Chisora, 38, at Tottenham’s stadium.
And Usyk goaded: “We negotiated it. If he agreed to fight, I would step onto the ring.
“A lot of things were said since then, like he would slap me in my face.
“But apparently he changed his mind after having his buttocks burned.”
In a final message, Usyk said: “Luke, I’m coming for you. I’ve been coming for him for a long time.”
Tyson Fury facing off with Oleksandr Usyk in the ringJamie McPhilimey Read More