Oleksandr Usyk fires ominous seven-word warning to Tyson Fury on Instagram as heavyweight pair meet at press conference ahead of their highly-anticipated rematch
- Fury and Usyk will face each other in a rematch on December 21
- Usyk won the first fight between the pair via split decision in May
- They met at a press conference in London on Wednesday afternoon
Oleksandr Usyk fired an early warning at his heavyweight rival Tyson Fury on Instagram as the two met at the launch press conference for their rematch on Wednesday night.
Usyk and Fury faced off in a modern classic in May, with the Ukrainian emerging victorious via split decision to once again become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
They will meet again on December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and compete to promote the event in London.
Before taking the stage, Usyk posted a seven-word message on Instagram that read, “I won’t leave you alone. Never’.
Usyk had a similar message before their first fight and was a man of his word as he pressed the action from the opening bell.
Oleksandr Usyk arrived at the press conference on Wednesday with a mysterious briefcase in hand
He had Tyson Fury autograph a photo he took across the stage after taking it out of his briefcase
It turned out to be an image of Usyk landing a huge left hand on Fury in their first fight
Fury and Usyk met at a launch press conference for their rematch on Wednesday night
He scored a knockdown in the ninth round after landing a barrage of punches that ultimately turned the match in his favor, and is confident his hand will go back up.
Usyk kept his cards close to his chest on Wednesday evening, but attended the press conference in a black suit with a mysterious briefcase in hand.
He was asked what was in the briefcase, and he eventually opened it before heading over to Fury with a photo in his hand.
It turned out to be an image of Usyk landing a huge left hand on Fury in their first fight, and he managed to convince the Gypsy King to sign it, prompting laughter from the assembled media.
Reflecting on how he plans to get a different result in their rematch, Fury said: “I’m just looking forward to a fantastic fight. Oleksandr won the last battle fair and square. It was a very close fight, there was only one point. A little more focus, a little less complacency and I will prevail.”
He then referred to his previous record in rematches and added: “My rematches with people always end one way.
Fury has won all his previous rematches and expects to gain the upper hand over Usyk in December
Usyk declined to say much but insisted he did not need to change his game plan to beat Fury again
‘Whoever I meet always gets eliminated in the rematch. I have something similar in mind with Usyk.”
Meanwhile, Usyk just smiled as he claimed, “I have no motivation. Only my regimen, only my concentration. This is my motivation.’
When asked if he needed to change his game plan to beat Fury again, he simply replied: ‘No’.
The pair then faced off on stage and will now return to their training camps before meeting again in eight weeks to settle their differences in the ring.