OLEKSANDR USYK won’t let his bid for heavyweight greatness be derailed by Tyson Fury’s shenanigans.
The undefeated Ukrainian will bid to become only the second-ever male fighter to claim undisputed status in two weight classes when he locks horns with Fury a fortnight on Saturday.
GETTYOleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will fight for all the heavyweight marbles later this month[/caption]
EPAUsyk has endured pre-fight digs and taunts galore from The Gypsy King ahead of their historic showdown[/caption]
APUsyk insists he won’t let Fury’s theatrics get the better of him[/caption]
Usyk has had to endure verbal jab after verbal jab from the charismatic and sometimes erratic Fury in the build-up to their long-overdue Saudi showdown.
But unlike Fury’s opponents of yesteryear, the former cruiserweight king has – on the outside at least – not been rattled by the Brit’s antics – a calmness he believes is imperative to getting the better of him.
He told Ring Magazine: “I really don’t think about Tyson Fury. I don’t look at the way he acts and what he does.
“Most of his opponents fell for it. I don’t. For me, I focus on how I am, and how I prepare for when I go into the ring.”
Usyk and his team have studied Fury extensively for the best part of two years and believe they have the perfect game plan to hand The Gypsy King his first loss.
He said: “Me and my trainer have watched his fights. We are preparing for everything.
“We have to watch what he is doing. I don’t care about what Fury thinks about me.
“He can underestimate. He can overestimate me. I don’t care. I have my plans for him. I have advantages over him that he does not know about.”
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Usyk, 37, fully expects Fury to try to utilise his significant weight advantage in the clinch in a bid to tire him out.
But he insists: “We are going to be the ones leaning on Tyson Fury [not the other way around].
“To win this fight, I don’t need to be heavy, I need to be fast and quick. You never see a fat wolf in the forest.”
Team Usyk are happy with how preparations for the historic showdown have gone, with manager Egis Klimas confident the slick southpaw will bounce Fury from the ranks of the unbeaten in devastating fashion.
He said: “Usyk is always prepared mentally, he takes every fight very seriously.
“We went through a lot to get this fight made. Usyk will beat Fury. I am sure it will not be easy.
“I would not even be surprised if he stops Fury.
“The reason I say that is Usyk will wear down Fury and stop him. Fury has made a lot of money. He is not hungry anymore.
“Like Oscar De La Hoya used to say.
“If you have $80 million in your bank account and you are sleeping in silk sheets, it is not easy to get up at 5 in the morning to run.”
AFPOleksandr Usyk is brimming with confidence ahead of the biggest fight of his life[/caption]