Tyson Fury reckons Oleksandr Usyk will be “begging to fight him” by the end of 2026.
Fury officially announced his comeback fight today in London, confirming he would face Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 11, and post-press conference Fury had plenty to say about Usyk, who has two wins over the Englishman, including: “I know, in my heart, I won them fights.”
Fury, wearing black shoes with a red Netflix logo on them, has been in camp in Thailand, and he added: “I feel rejuvenated. I’ve had a year away from the sport and I’ve not been thinking about boxing much. When I’m in training, I’m happy. When you’re without the training in your life and you fill it with other stuff that’s not so good for you, you miss it. You yearn for it. I’m 37, I still feel good. I still feel in my prime. I’ve got a lot more to offer and there are still some big fights there for me that I know I can win. I know I can beat this guy, and I know I can beat the other heavyweight champions in the division and if we get a fight with Usyk again, I know I’ll get the decision this time.”
Asked if he’d spoken to Usyk during his spell away from boxing, Fury said: “I haven’t but I guarantee you one thing, by the end of the year he’ll be begging me for a fight because the one thing the Gypsy King does bring is a lot of money. Whoever fights me gets very rich… “There’s no other person in the division that can bring that sort of entertainment and money factor to these fighters.”
The Morecambe man promised those watching on Netflix would see a “vintage Tyson Fury” and he planned to continue for “a long, long time” and that it was “definitely not” the closing chapter of his career.
Of his opponent in April, Fury said: “He’s got 17 first-round knockouts and he’s got 20 wins by knockout in his 23 fights [he’s 21-2, 19 KOs], but I’ve never struggled with bigger men. “The bigger they are, the easier they are for me.”
He also spoke about the WBO title, which will be contested by champion Fabio Wardley and challenger Daniel Dubois on May 9 in Manchester.
“You’ve got the WBO champion of the world, Fabio Wardley, he’s fighting Daniel Dubois next, these guys are sort of unknown at the moment,” said Fury. “They need to keep building up. Don’t forget, I’ve been in the game for 20 years, they’ve been in it for 20 minutes. In order to get to the higher levels and be well known they have to keep fighting and getting a name for themselves. So, at the minute, it’s very easy to make them fights [with Fury]. I could make that fight last year. I could make it 10 minutes ago. All them fights are easy to make because they all want to fight the Gypsy King but I can fight anybody. I can sell that stadium out fighting Joe Bloggs…. Now I’m back with a vengeance and I want a bit more action.”
