Fury v Usyk: Gypsy King favourite for Saudi showdown
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Coral make Tyson Fury the odds-on favourite to beat Oleksandr Usyk in their undisputed heavyweight fight which is set to take place in early 2024.
The pair have announced they will finally clash in Riyadh on February 17 and in the Fury v Usyk betting odds, the Briton is 4/7 to come out on top.
Usyk, who defeated another British boxer Daniel Dubois last time in the ring, is 6/4 to inflict the first defeat in Fury’s professional career.
Coral’s John Hill said: “We are set for one of the biggest heavyweight clashes this side of the century, and it is Fury who is the favourite to come away with all four major belts following his fight with the unbeaten Ukrainian.”
The heavyweight rivals were expected to meet on December 23, only for Fury’s disappointing performance in a split-decision victory over MMA star Francis Ngannou last month to force a delay.
Fury’s WBC belt and the WBA, IBF and WBO titles held by Usyk will be on the line with the winner crowned the division’s first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000.
At a press conference in central London to announce the fight, Fury said: “I’m going to bust him up. Sausage. Ugly little man. Rabbit. Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run.
“You know what’s coming? You’re getting smashed to pieces, sausage. You’re fighting the best British heavyweight there’s ever been. You’ve beaten the rest of them, but you haven’t beaten Tyson Fury, sausage.
“You can never beat me. If you beat me in your dreams you better wake up and apologise. I stole that from Muhammad Ali, I apologise.
“When you sleep at night ugly man you’re going to think of me for the next eight weeks. I’m going to punch your face in. You ugly little man.”
Size matters for Fury
With his verbal attack on the Ukrainian over, Fury talked up the quality of a contest between two outstanding boxers who possess skill and warrior spirit in equal measure, even if he thinks Usyk will struggle because of his size.
“We’re both undefeated. He’s a champion, I’m a champion. It’s going to be a fight for the ages,” Fury said.
“It’s been 24 years since we’ve had an undisputed champion. The Klitschkos were champions for around 10 years, so there’s been 14 years when the other heavyweights couldn’t do it.
“We’ve both been chosen and there can only be one winner. I’m going to become the undisputed champion. More than that, I’m destined to cement my legacy as the number one fighter of this era.
“To do that I’ve got to beat this little man, which is easier said than done because he’s a tricky boxer, slick and all of that.
“But I’ve seen many like him before and when they fight the big men, they struggle. And he will struggle on February 17. I will break him.
“He’s a middleweight, but it’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog and he’s obviously got a lot of fight in him.
“But when you meet a big man who is a lot bigger but also has the fight inside him, let’s put it in a nutshell – you’re f****d.”
Usyk is aiming to emulate Evander Holyfield by becoming undisputed heavyweight champion having already conquered the cruiserweight division.
The London 2012 gold medallist, a southpaw technician, referenced ‘David and Goliath’ when considering the long-awaited collision, but he was largely happy to let Fury do the talking.
“I will speak in the ring,” said Usyk. “Every time Tyson Fury speaks a lot. For me it doesn’t matter.”
Fury v Usyk betting odds
4/7 Fury
6/4 Usyk
16/1 Draw
All odds and market correct at date of publication
