Oleksandr Usyk snapped back at Tyson Fury for mocking his earning during a special face-to-face interview ahead of next month’s undisputed title clash in Saudi Arabia.
Usyk – who will go toe-to-toe with Fury on February 17 to unify the division for the first time since Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield in March 1999 – humbled the Gypsy King during an interview with TNT.
The pair sat down with Steve Bunce to conduct the face-to-face interview – which was due to air closer to the fight. However, clips from their conversation have been leaked online.
The Gypsy King can be heard mocking Usyk – who will be putting his WBA, IBF and WBO titles on the line when he faces the WBC champion – for wearing an earring in his left earlobe.
Instead of snapping back at Fury, Usyk simply explained how the earring was actually ‘proof’ of his ‘Cossack lineage’, claiming he wears the ‘warrior’ symbol out of respect to those who ‘defended my country from our enemies for many years’.
Oleksandr Usyk snapped back at Tyson Fury for mocking his earning during a special face-to-face interview ahead of next month’s undisputed title clash in Saudi Arabia
Usyk, who will go toe-to-toe with Fury on February 17 to unify the division for the first time since Lewis beat Holyfield in March 1999, humbled the Gypsy King during a TNT interview
The Gypsy King could be heard mocking Usyk for wearing an earring in his left earlobe
Fury started the exchange by saying: ‘I know he can’t beat me, I know he can’t. A man who wears an earring can never beat Tyson Fury, ever. Not a chance, no-one who wears earrings can beat him.’
Usyk took a moment before replying: ‘I can explain about the earrings. It’s Ukrainian warrior, Cossack. They were the people who defended my country from our enemies for many years.’
The 37-year-old went on to add: ‘This is just the proof of my Cossack lineage – they never lost to anybody. There is no beauty or fashion in this.’
The Gypsy King responded by saying: ‘Listen in Ukraine it means he’s a good fighting man, for him. But where I’m from it means he’s a p***y with an earring in.’
Fans were shocked by the interaction and took to social media to say Usyk did well to ‘humble’ the Gypsy King. While others poked fun at Fury by sharing old photos of him wearing earrings.
Usyk seemed to have let Fury’s comments wash over him and had previously been heard saying he would do his talking in ring on February 17 while attending last month’s press conference in London.
Usyk seemed to have let Fury’s comments wash over him and had previously been heard saying he would do his talking in ring on February 17
Fury will be looking to put on a better performance than he did against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in October 2023
Meanwhile, Fury will be looking to put on a better performance than he did against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in October 2023.
Fury won the Battle of the Baddest bout via split decision but it was far from convincing, with ‘The Predator’ knocking the WBC champion down in the third round.
Fury tried to land a right hand on the MMA heavyweight but Ngannou countered well and caught him on the temple with a huge left hook, sending him thudding to the canvas.
Many punters felt Ngannou did enough across the 10 round contest to win the fight and said that the Cameroonian had been ‘robbed’ to protect Fury’s fight with Usyk in February.
However, the majority of boxing experts agreed that Fury was the rightful winner on the night – just edging past the Cameroonian after one of his more disappointing performances.
Fury won the Battle of the Baddest bout via split decision but it was far from convincing
The former UFC heavyweight champion knocked the Gypsy King down in the third round
Nevertheless, Ngannou walked away from the bout in Saudi Arabia with a massive amount of credit and established himself as a worthwhile contender in the heavyweight division.
Fury appears to be taking his current camp seriously, being uncharacteristically quiet on social media after touching down in Riyadh to begin his training camp for the undisputed title fight on February 17.
Fury has also been seen sparring Moses Itauma (7-0) Kevin Lerena (30-2) and Alexis Barriere (11-0) in the build-up to the fight. He also completed five rounds with cruiserweight sensation Jai Opetaia.
Meanwhile, Usyk has been facing Sanel Hasanovic (7-1-1) Vladimir Katsuk (5-1) Mariusz Wach (38-10) Emanuel Odiase and (1-0) Darren Sealy (0-1).
Fury has been sparring Moses Itauma (7-0) Kevin Lerena (30-2) and Alexis Barriere (11-0)