Tyson Fury made a threat to Oleksandr Usyk during an X-rated interview on Friday night and then stormed off while the questions were still coming. Fury and Usyk are set to go head-to-head at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday night for the chance to be crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
Following the weigh-in – which saw Fury tip the scales lighter than he’s been for five years – the Brit was asked for his thoughts by DAZN reporter Ali Drew. And the 35-year-old was clearly fired up as he screamed his answers with pure aggression while chewing gum. “We’re ready to rock and roll you know,” he exclaimed. “Fireworks tomorrow night, I’m going to knock this little f***er spark out.
“I’m coming for his heart – that’s what I’m coming for. F*** his belts, I’m coming for his heart. He’s getting tomorrow, spark out. F*** him and f*** all his team too. F*** the lot of them, they can all get it if they want it too, s***houses.”
Drew then followed up with: “A word to your fans, Tyson?” But before she had even finished asking her question, Fury had turned his back and stormed off.
Usyk had the opportunity to hit back at Fury as he was soon interviewed by Todd Grisham. “Be afraid,” said the Ukrainian. “I will not leave you alone tomorrow.” And after being asked what advice his late father would give him, the 37-year-old simply replied: “Son, you can [do it].” Usyk then added: “It is my plan [to stay calm]. If I will be nervous I will not win. My fans, I love you. See you tomorrow.”
The weigh-in was full of drama as Fury danced around, while Usyk remained unruffled. The duo then got in each other’s faces and had to be separated by their respective teams after Fury shoved the Ukrainian.
The week had kicked off with an outburst of violence after Fury’s dad John headbutted a member of Usyk’s backroom team following a press conference on Monday. Fury Snr was left with blood dripping from his head after a heated verbal exchange turned physical.
And Fury Jnr later insisted: “I saw some idiot chatting – and they got banged. End of. What a way to sell the fight. My dad’s an excellent salesman and he’s done a fantastic job. Half his age and he’s nutted him.”
The fighters are expected to be evenly matched when the action gets underway. Fury is the slight favourite to win the fight, with some pundits even predicting a draw.
