Fury v Usyk: Gypsy King favourite for Saudi showdown

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

View the latest boxing odds