Controversial Peaky Blinders star Paul Anderson makes a surprise appearance in an epic promo for the heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk on February 17 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Anderson was recently arrested in London on drug charges when he was found to be in possession of crack cocaine, drug paraphernalia, amphetamines and prescription substances after a bartender allegedly smelled fumes coming from a toilet stall. As a result, 48-year-old Anderson was found guilty of all charges and fined £1,345, or approximately $1,700.
The fight was announced in late October, so filming likely took place before Anderson’s arrest on Boxing Day, December 26.
Regardless, Anderson serves as character and narrator in the promo, which sees Usyk and Fury playing archetypal roles in a number of macho film genres, including a Western scene, some Roman gladiator shots and even an animated Samurai.
“A story as old as time,” Anderson began. “A legendary champion in search of another champion has met his match.”
Paul Anderson is seen giving Tyson Fury a shave during the western portion of the promo
Usyk, who often compares himself to a Cossack warrior, appears as a weapon-slinger in the promo
At six feet away, Tyson Fury would offer rival marksmen a pretty big target in a gunfight
As the footage showed the 6-foot-2 Fury and the 6-foot-2 converted cruiserweight Usyk in a variety of conflicts, Anderson continued, offering one banality after another.
“A duel that transcends bullets,” Anderson said. ‘Both men undefeated. Both men bigger than life itself.’
The fight between Fury and Usyk to unify all the major heavyweight boxing titles will take place on February 17 in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.
The last fight to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion was in 1999, when Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield to win three major titles: the WBC, WBA and IBF titles. Lewis was forced to vacate his WBA title the following year in a dispute over his next title defense.
Gladiator Oleksandr Usyk appears in the promo as the background changes to the Colosseum
The animated portion of the promo features Fury (pictured) in a confrontation with a Samurai
This time it concerns four tires.
England’s Fury (34-0-1) is the WBC champion and Ukraine’s Usyk (21-0) holds the WBA, IBF and WBO titles, having previously been the undisputed cruiserweight champion in 2018 and 2019.
Fury and Usyk were due to meet on December 23 but the fight was postponed following an out-of-form Fury’s disappointing performance in a split-decision win over MMA star Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia last month.
“I am destined to cement my legacy as the No. 1 fighter in this era and to do that, I have to beat this little man,” Fury said in November, referring to Usyk as a “middleweight.”
An out-of-form Fury was knocked down in his last fight against MMA star Francis Ngannou
Fury secured a controversial decision over Ngannou but proved to be too tough
The 6-foot-1 Fury looks down on the 6-foot-1 Usyk during a showdown in November 2023
Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk comes off defense against Daniel Dubois in Poland
‘That is it. Simple as. He’s a tough guy, a good boxer, slick, all that, but I’ve seen a lot of people like him. When they fight the big guys, they wrestle and he will also compete on February 17th. He will definitely lose.’
Usyk comes off defense against Daniel Dubois in Poland.
The Ukrainian has defeated British opponents in all of his last four fights, including when he won his heavyweight titles from Anthony Joshua in 2021 and defended them in a rematch in Saudi Arabia the following year.
“I have no goal,” Usyk said in November. ‘Just the road. And my way is ‘The Undisputed’. That’s why this was the only fight for me. When that bell rings, I will bring the fire.”