Tyson Fury intends to prove he is the best heavyweight on the planet when he fights Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday.
It’s the opportunity of a lifetime, and a fight of this magnitude comes with vast rewards: the riches of his prize no matter what, and a lasting legacy if he wins.
But as the countdown to the undisputed championship clash began in earnest at the start of fight week in Riyadh, Fury was grimly reminded of the dangers of his chosen profession.
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Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk look forward to their clash against the heavyweight champions on Saturday night and share what a victory will mean for them both.
Middleweight boxer Sherif Lawal has died after making his professional debut at a leisure center in Harrow.
“God rest his soul,” Fury said. “You know when you get into this sport, it’s a dangerous sport. You go there, you get paid for the danger.
“You can knock your brains out. We’re not here to tickle each other. We’re here to inflict damage on each other by hitting each other in the head and body and unfortunately, things like that -these happen from time to time.”
Fury is an intelligent fighter and knows the dangers of his sport as well as anyone. This is something a boxer must accept, according to him.
“It’s like that. We all know what we’re getting into. It’s a bit like being someone who parachutes out of a plane. Every once in a while, your parachute doesn’t open, it hits the ground, but it doesn’t open. That doesn’t stop everyone from skydiving. It happens,” he said.
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Andy Scott caught up with British heavyweight Tyson Fury ahead of his undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
“I know all the risks. I have known it all my life. It is like that. If my time has come, it is God’s will and I will die. And if not, I will live. You cannot try fate.
“I can’t decide what happens in the future and I can’t worry about it either.”
Fury will not allow the promise of what will happen if he becomes the undisputed champion, nor will he let the potential threats that his opponent Usyk could pose distract his attention from the task at hand, which for him is simply to box and win SATURDAY.
“It’s a good job that I live for today and I don’t think about the future,” he explained. “There is no future. There is no tomorrow.
“Apollo told Rocky. There is no tomorrow. In my faith and belief, there is no tomorrow. Jesus said I will return like a thief in the night, without an hour, no date or time, so be ready, live for today because tomorrow is not promised.
“I’ve known a few people who went to bed and died the next day without waking up. So every day is a blessing, so I take advantage of it and enjoy it every day.”
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Ahead of the highly anticipated heavyweight clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, find out how other undisputed fights have played out in the 21st century.
Fury had a long career, and after beating Wladimir Klitschko, he was away from the sport for over two years. But he has no plans to retire anytime soon. He is considering up to 10 more fights. Because, despite all the dangers that accompany it, boxing remains something he enjoys.
“I believe that every time you step into a ring, you leave with less than when you first entered it. It takes a little more, a little, a little more and a little more. But it’s a good job that I live for today and I don’t think about the future,” he said.
“I was probably better (before). I was younger, early 20s, now I’m mid 30s. I was a better fighter 12 years ago, I had the fountain of youth , now I have wisdom instead,” he reflected.
“My youth got away from me and my experience must take over, I’m not a sissy.
“If you look at the greats, when they were 35, they said they were done and over the hill. I have to put youth aside and use my experience and my mentality.”
He continued: “When you enjoy something, you do your thing, your routine, the years go by pretty quickly so I’m not too concerned about all the negative things that come with sticking around and boxing. We’ll just playing it by ear, I guess like I said, if it’s 10 fights in the next five years, I want them quickly.
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A look back at the best of Tyson Fury’s memorable press conference ahead of his huge undisputed heavyweight clash with Oleksandr Usyk on May 18, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
However, no fight, before or after this Usyk contest, will be as important as the undisputed championship fight.
For Fury, from the beginning, his career has been a sequence of moments leading up to that defining night. He said he was ready to face whatever it might bring.
“Undisputed. British champion. Every fight you fight is a great fight,” he said. “I remember when I became ABA novice champion, in less than 10 fights, it was a big moment for me.
“Then when I became senior champion, that was a big moment, then English, British, European, they’re all big moments so I guess that’s a big moment too.”
But he insisted: “It’s always been one battle at a time.”
Taking one fight at a time has led Fury here. Not until his final fight, there will be more to come, but until the highest level of all. This fight is the one that proves if Tyson Fury is what he always said he was: the best big man on the planet. A great moment, there is no doubt about it.
It is one of the greatest sporting events of a generation. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk face off for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world on Saturday, May 18, live on Sky Sports Ticket Office. Book the fight now.
