The Briton said that he loves the Ukrainian who helped him earn millions of dollars.
Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury told whether he regrets his words after losing his first fight with the holder of the WBA, WBO, WBC and IBO titles Oleksandr Usykthat the judges gave the victory to his opponent because of the war in Ukraine.
The “Gypsy King” assured that he does not regret anything. He also admitted that he loves Oleksandr, who helped him earn millions of dollars.
The Briton believes that he and Usyk both showed an excellent performance in the first fight, delighting the fans, and will be able to do it again in the rematch.
Host:Immediately after the fight, you were asked in the ring who you thought won. You said you won, and you thought the judges gave him the win because his country was at war. Do you regret saying that?
Fury: No, I don't regret anything. Why should I regret that?
Host: So you really think they gave him the win…
Fury:It was a close fight, Usyk's hand was raised. He said he won, fair and square, I'm not making excuses. The man beat me that night. I believe I won the fight, that's my opinion. Just like you have your opinion, he has his opinion, everyone has their opinion. But his hand was raised, and I congratulated him. You can see it on TV. I kissed his cross, said, “Thank you very much.”
Fury:And Happy New Year. You know what I mean. So when we fight again, we fight again, that's it. There's no bad blood, I don't hate Usyk, he's a good guy, a God-fearing Christian, a family man, why would I hate him? He made me millions of dollars, I love him. I don't feel any hatred. You can't bring hatred between the two of us.
He's a boxer, I'm a boxer. It was a great fight, no matter what the decision was. I've said that many times. He won, it's fantastic for him and his family, well done, congratulations. Like I said, God gave him the result. Fantastic, but despite that, even from my point of view, it was a great fight for the fans. I'm sure they were entertained, they got everything. I did great things, he did great things, it was a great fight, and here we are, we can do it again on December 21st.
The Usyk-Fury rematch will take place on December 21st in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All titles held by the Ukrainian boxer will be at stake.
Unlike the first fight, this time the title of absolute world champion will not be at stake, since Alexander had previously renounced the IBF title. Now it is in the hands of Daniel Dubois, who has already managed to defend it by knocking out Anthony Joshua.
Recall that on the night of May 19, 2024, Usyk defeated Fury by split decision in a fight for the title of absolute world heavyweight champion. At the end of the ninth round, Alexander knocked his opponent down.
Thus, Alexander defended the WBO, WBA, IBO and IBF belts, and also took the WBC title from the “Gypsy King”. Usyk became the first absolute world champion in the heavyweight division in the 21st century.
Before that, the last “absolute” heavyweight champion was Lennox Lewis, who won this status in 1999, when he defeated Evander Holyfield. At that time, the WBA, WBC and IBF titles were at stake. The WBO belt was recognized as equal in 2007, so Usyk became the first “absolute” heavyweight champion in history with four main titles.
