The first undisputed heavyweight championship match of the four-belt era has been confirmed for February 17. However, it’s simply another bout for Tyson Fury.
This match holds the promise of unifying the division for the first time since Lennox Lewis’s victory over Evander Holyfield in 1999. But in an exclusive conversation with Mail Sport, Fury expressed his indifference.
Fury said: “Just the same old s***. Boxing, boxing, boxing. That’s it. I’m not interested in undisputed honestly. I’m not interested in all of that stuff. I don’t care about unifying the division and all of that stuff.”
“I’ve already done it. I did it when I beat Klitschko. I won all the belts. I won the WBC after that so I’ve won every belt there is to win, including Ring Magazine’s, WBO and all of those other belts. I’ve already had them.”
“It’s not that exciting when you’ve already done it. It’s like saying, ‘oh my god you’re going to climb up Mount Everest, you’ve done it 16 times before but you’re going to do it again’. Then asking how excited are you? It’s like yeah, I’ve already done it a lot of times.”
“‘Oh my god you’ve got another boxing fight on Saturday, how excited are you?’ Well, yeah very excited but I’ve had 35 of them before.”
“It’s like having another baby. I’ve already got seven so odds are she’s probably going to get pregnant again. Am I going to be unbelievably excited? It’s a fantastic thing but I’ve been here plenty of times before.”
Even if Fury is downplaying it, boxing fans have been waiting for this bout for a very long time. Originally scheduled for December 23, the anticipated clash faced a setback after Fury engaged in a bout with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou on October 28.
This unexpected challenge resulted in physical tolls on the 35-year-old Fury, prompting a postponement. Despite queries about disappointment concerning the rescheduling, Fury brushed it off.
He said: “I don’t care. I get paid in February, I get paid in December. I don’t care.”
Regardless of Fury’s statements, it seems that the intensity of the Battle of the Baddest had a negative psychological and physical impact on him.
Regarding his deflation after the bout, Fury went on to say: “I think the fight went really well. I got paid, I got laid and I got out of there. Now I am onto my next one. Can’t go any better than that can it.”
“Plus, did I say anything at all on the night or after that wasn’t positive? No I didn’t. In terms of body language, I had a big black eye and I had a cut on my face. How the flipping heck am I going to look?'”
Downplaying the significance of the impending matchup, Fury humorously mentioned his casual approach to training. He talked about his usual lifestyle of indulgence in food and drinks.
Fury then said: “I’ve just been doing what I usually do. Drinking, eating s***, not training, do what I usually do. You know me. Still the same old G.”
“I’m always in camp. I’m always training. it’s no big thing. It’s a boxing fight, I’ve had plenty of them before. It’s not like I’ve never been in the gym before. I’ve just come off a 10 round fight just a couple of weeks ago.”
Expressing his intent to secure a knockout victory over Usyk, Fury highlighted his focus on targeting the face and aim for impactful head shots. He said: “I’m looking for face shots. Always looking for the knockout. I’m looking for face shots, in the face! In the face. That’s what I am looking for.”
In the event that Fury wins, he will be named the first undisputed heavyweight of the four belt era and take home the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles.