Oleksandr Usyk insists he has no doubts that he will beat Tyson Fury in their undisputed heavyweight showdown in 2024.
Usyk and Fury will finally face each other for all four heavyweight belts on February 17 in Saudi Arabia, and with the fight less than eight weeks away, the Ukrainian has revealed he is already dreaming about winning.
‘Firstly, it’s not “if” I win but “when” I win,’ Usyk said, as quoted by Sky Sports.
‘When I go to sleep I imagine myself boxing, then my hand raised high. I simply believe that I can win.’
Fury has gained a reputation for winning the psychological battle with his opponents before their fights to give himself the edge in the ring.
Oleksandr Usyk is certain he will beat Tyson Fury when they fight each other in February
Usyk has revealed he is already dreaming about beating Fury (above) in their undisputed clash
At his opening press conference with Usyk last month, Fury hurled a series of insults at his rival, labelling him ‘a rabbit’ and ‘a sausage’, while also trying to intimidate him at their first face-off.
Usyk managed to keep his cool, which only appeared to fire up Fury even more.
Reflecting on how things panned out, Usyk believes he already has the mental edge over the ‘Gypsy King’.
‘I got into his head and now instead of me, he thinks about a rabbit. Keep thinking, brother,’ Usyk added.
‘I have listened to Eminem for many years, his mum used to call him a white rabbit. I don’t know, I like this rapper.
Usyk feels Fury trying to intimidate him shows he has already got into his rival’s head
‘Tony Bellew once said that I am a beast in boxing, I said: “Not really, I’m just a white rabbit.”‘
The mind games between the pair are only likely to come into sharper focus as fight night draws nearer, but Usyk has vowed not to go low when it comes to trash talking to honour a promise he made to his father, who passed away in 2012 just days after Usyk won Olympic gold in London.
‘In my childhood I was asked who I want to be when I grow up, I came home and asked his (Usyk’s dad) advice – who should I become when I grow up? He said: “You must become a good person,”‘ Usyk explained.
‘First of all – you need to become a good and well-behaved person. From there, you can achieve everything else.’