Tyson Fury has issued a chilling threat of “pain, injury and damage” to Oleksandr Usyk ahead of their heavyweight title rematch on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
As the fighters appeared for their official open training sessions in Riyadh on Wednesday night, both gave very little.
Fury lost his first bout in May as Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis, but this time around he's brought what appears to be a more focused approach to the fight week.
Asked if there were any surprises for Saturday night, Fury replied: “A lot of pain.
“Break and damage.”
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Then, when asked about other topics, such as his growing beard or his feelings about promoting the fight, he continued: “A lot of hurt.
“Hurt. Seriously injured.
“A lot of damage.”
'A completely different Fury'
Asked for Fury's remarks when he arrived in the ring shortly afterwards, Usyk's response was: “Okay.”
Usyk's promoted Alexander Krassyuk, who speaks better English than the fighter, offered his own assessment of Fury's approach.
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Oleksandra Usyka followed the performance live during a public training session for his rematch against Tyson Fury on December 21.
“I see a completely different Tyson Fury,” Krasjuk said.
“He doesn't play anymore. He is so focused, concentrated. He doesn't even smile anymore.
“This man probably did his homework. He probably realized that spoiling and distributing energy is not the best idea.
“For that reason, he was really serious, like a monk, I would say.
'Fury's approach reflects his mission'
Sky Sports pundit Andy Clarke suggested Fury's approach reflected the former champion's awareness of the magnitude of his task
“Because we're used to him, we're used to Usyk, and we're used to them being pretty relaxed during the week, sometimes we can forget what they're actually doing out there on Saturday,” Clarke said.
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“It's an incredibly serious matter.
“For Fury to be where he is earlier in the week than we would normally see, it just tells you the task he knows he has on his hands.”
The big heavyweight rematch between Alexander Usyk and Tyson Fury will be live on Saturday 21st. Sky Sports Box Office. Book Usyk v Fury 2 now!