Tyson Fury has the ultimate contest on his hands against Oleksandr Usyk, but is convinced this undisputed battle will eventually come down to who has the greater will to win; watch Usyk and Fury face off in Saudi Arabia on May 18, live on Sky Sports Box Office
Wednesday 15 May 2024 12:17, UK
Tyson Fury is adamant that nothing will stop him defeating Oleksandr Usyk when they fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world on Saturday.
Neither man has ever lost a pro fight before. Fury is a rare undefeated, two-time heavyweight world champion - he had to vacate the titles he won from Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 before claiming the WBC belt from Deontay Wilder.
Even against as formidable an opponent as Usyk, who was an undisputed cruiserweight champion before making his move up to heavyweight, Fury is certain he will prevail when they meet, live on Sky Sports Box Office this weekend.
"Why will I win? Because it's what I do. I win, win, win no matter what," he told Sky Sports. "I've always won.
"What I deliver is victories. Whether it's by an inch or a mile, I deliver every time. Sixteen years as a pro, I've been delivering my whole life. They should call me the midwife because I always deliver."
How specifically he'll overcome Usyk, though, Fury does not speculate. He's quite prepared to improvise too.
"I'm sure Sugar[Hill Steward, his trainer] has got an idea for what he wants me to do in the fight. For me, I'll figure it out when I get in there. I've seen many styles before. I've fought orthodox and southpaws, tall, short, fat, thin… I've fought them all," he said.
"So I'll figure it out when I get in there."
The real difference, he suggests will be desire. "At the end of the day it comes down to who wants it more on the night and I think I'm that man," Fury declared.
The "immortality" of going down in boxing history will drive him on.
"This is the era of Hector and Achilles," he said. "So when there was two top fighting men in that day, the two best was Hector and Achilles. This is it. This is for who's the Hector and who's the Achilles.
"I believe the Achilles is me."
Fury's fight with Usyk was due to take place in February but had to be postponed to May 18 when the Briton sustained a cut in sparring.
With time relatively constrained for healing and recovery there have been suggestions that Usyk could take advantage and try to target Fury's scar tissue.
But the WBC champion scoffs at the thought of that swaying the fight Usyk's way.
"The cut, it is what it is. If it opens up in the fight, fantastic," Fury told Sky Sports. "It's not like I've not been cut before is it?"
Fury did deal with a terrible cut on his way to defeating Otto Wallin in 2019.
"I heard Klitschko say a way how to beat me is target the cut - that's not going to beat me. What are you going to do? Cause some blood to come out, a bit of blood on me. Some blood trickling down my face, that isn't going to stop me," he insisted.
"I just hope the referee lets me get a cut eye, if it happens.
"You need an army to stop me. Never mind a cut eye."
It's one of the biggest sporting events in a generation. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk collide for the undisputed world heavyweight championship on Saturday May 18, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book the fight now.
