Tyson Fury knows the Oleksandr Usyk showdown could take years off his life… but Gypsy King is ‘living for today’, as he bids to become first undisputed heavyweight champion in 25 years
Tyson Fury is aiming to become the first new undisputed world heavyweight champion in a quarter of a century, with Saturday night’s fight here against Oleksandr Usyk expected to take years off his life. In fact: more years.
That’s the price the Gypsy King knows he must pay every time he takes one of his giant steps over the ropes in what is promoted here in the Arabian Desert as the Ring of Fire. At 35, he is acutely aware that the debilitating effects of a grueling battle worsen with age.
He also has no doubt that plunging his own WBC crown into the furnace of Ukrainian war hero Usyk’s WBA, IBF and WBO world titles will be as scorching as it gets.
As Fury sits back after performing on the promotional stage as the ultimate boxing showman, the parallel success of regaining his sanity from bipolar depression reveals itself.
On this occasion he says: “I believe that every time you enter the ring you walk out with less than when you went in. Every (big) fight demands a little more from you. It’s a good job that I live for today. If I thought about the future I would go crazy. As Apollo Creed said to Rocky (in the movie), there is no tomorrow.
Tyson Fury admitted he believes every time he leaves the ring he returns ‘with less’ than when he went in
He will take on Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia on Saturday in one of the biggest fights of the century
Fury and Usyk will face off for the right to be called the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world
‘In my faith (Catholic) there is no tomorrow. Jesus said that when he returns it will be like a thief in the night. No time, date or hour announced. So always be prepared and live day by day. Because tomorrow isn’t promised.’
Fury emphasized that philosophy as he reflected on lost friends and family: “There are a few people I’ve known who went to bed one night and didn’t wake up in the morning.
“So I greet every day as a blessing. I enjoy every day. And when people ask me how I’m doing, I just say, ‘I’m still alive.’ That’s a good start to every day.’
Fury has a legion of supporters against the judgmental critics of his ticket-selling exhibitionism and if he beats Usyk he is expected to be favorite to become BBC Sports Personality for the first time this year.
As for the huge amount of money he needs to bring this biggest of all fights thousands of miles away from his home fans, he references deceased followers, saying: “If any of the people from my career are missing, it means they being dead. Because those who are not physically here can watch it live on TV.
‘I’m sure the dead have better things to think about than a boxing match. When they’re up there in heaven, they do heavenly things. If they are in hell, they will burn.”
Aware of his own mortality, he continues: ‘For myself it is always one fight at a time. The past five years have passed by like this. 2019 feels like yesterday. But my daughter was a little girl then and now she is huge. When you do your thing, the years pass quickly. There’s talk of me having ten more fights. If so, I want them fast. Ten fights in no more than five years. Let’s list them.
“If you look back at the greats, at 35 they were told they were done. Over the hill. Okay, I was probably a better fighter in my early twenties. Now, in my mid-thirties, the fountain of youth has left me. Now I’m no spring chicken, but I have the wisdom. I have to put the youth aside and use my experience and mentality.’
Fury, 35, claimed he must rely on the experience he has amassed throughout his career if he wants to beat Usyk
If he wants to make history on Saturday night by becoming the first undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion since Lennox Lewis.
Ironically against a rival title holder a year older than himself. Although it is widely believed that Usyk has taken better care of himself over the past long, difficult decades.
Fury v Usyk for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World will be broadcast live on TNT Sports Box Office late on Saturday evening, priced at £24.99