Unbeaten IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk reacted with surprise & annoyance when told that Tyson Fury had accused him of ducking him.
Oleksandr bluntly said that Fury is “lying” and that he never ducked him or any fighter during his career. Usyk then noted that if Fury likes, they could take it out on the street, and he’ll fight him with bare knuckles to show that he’s NOT ducking him.
Obviously, Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) isn’t going to take Usyk up his offer, with him training for the title defense of his WBC strap against Dillian Whyte on April 23. Who knows why Fury would come up with a story about Usyk ducking him, but perhaps he was just trolling the media to get some cheap publicity.
“He’s lying; I never duck anybody. If he wants, I can fight him right now, with bare knuckles in the street. In all my career, I never denied to fight anybody, I never ducked anybody,” said Usyk to Behind The Gloves when told that Fury said that he’d ducked a fight against him.
“Even when I had to go to Moscow, Russia and the situations between the countries was very tight, I could have big problems in my country, even then, I went to Russia in Moscow, and I fought, and I showed everybody what I was capable of doing [by beating Murat Gassiev].
“It’s boxing, and anything can happen, but it’s a fight that if Fury takes seriously and he will do a good camp in preparation for the fight, and in my opinion is he will win that fight,” Oleksandr said when asked if Fury will beat Dillian Whyte on April 23rd.
Usyk then went to say that there’s more money for him in a fight against Fury. If Fury beats Whyte and Usyk defeats Anthony Joshua in their rematch, Oleksandr and Tyson will meet for the undisputed championship later this year.
Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) is working hard trying to improve his game enough to avenge his loss to Usyk in the summer. According to promoter Eddie Hearn, Joshua has a new training team that he’ll reveal shortly.
“I don’t care if he’s [Joshua] changing the trainers. I really don’t care what he’s doing. If he would like to have me to advise him, maybe after five years when I finish my career, I can establish a new team,” said Usyk when asked about his thoughts on Anthony Joshua changing out his training team ahead of their rematch.