‘Absolutely wounded’ Tyson Fury admits anger at Anthony Joshua blowing mega-money bout after Usyk defeat

WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has admitted to being 'p*ssed' that Anthony Joshua blew their best of British box office clash by losing to Oleksandr Usyk, but has offered advice to his rival on how to turn the tides.

Fury has his own dangerous assignment to deal with on October 9 when facing Deontay Wilder, in a trilogy bout which was rescheduled after the Brit contracted Covid. 

Dethroning the Alabama native in February last year with a stunning TKO stoppage following a controversial draw in December 2019, The Gypsy King vowed to "smash Deontay to bits again just like I did in our second fight".

"But I’m the only man who has done this and the only one who can do it," he stressed, while taking time out from his training camp to conduct a barechested press conference via video link.

"He would do the same to Usyk, Joshua and all the others in the heavyweight division," Fury said of his next foe, who might not be the most technically gifted of pugilists yet boasts devastating knockout power.

"Wilder is the most dangerous heavyweight in the world. One punch from him in any round can end your career."

"I never take any opponent for granted, big or small, and certainly not this one," he stressed.

That being said, it is pretty much common knowledge in the boxing world that had Joshua gotten past Usyk before Fury potentially sees off Wilder, the Brits' promoters would have headed back to the negotiation table to try and finally arrange a pair of blockbuster clashes between them in Saudi Arabia and the UK which have now decreased in both interest and value.

Despite admitting his frustration, though, Fury refused to pile on Joshua.

"Did I watch the fight? Yes, I did. Was I absolutely wounded that [Usyk] won? Yes, I was. I was hoping Joshua could win the fight, but he couldn’t - and that’s none of my business.

"Usyk did his job well and good luck to him. I’m not saying much about Joshua because I don’t like beating up on people when they’re down." 

"It ain’t my style. I like to pick on someone who is doing well, successful, on top of the game – I don’t like picking on people who are down and probably at their lowest point and probably mentally unstable and unwell with a big loss after such a long reign.

"Was I p*ssed that he lost before our big fight? Yes, I was. But if he’s going to get revenge he’s going to have do something very different in the rematch," Fury pointed out.

"The only chance he has of getting his vengeance is to come out swinging, leave nothing in the ring, give it everything he’s got and hope that’s enough."

"Who knows? But what I do know is that whatever happens between them I am the only heavyweight who will get all the belts. Always have been. Always will be. At 6ft 9in and 270-plus pounds I am a behemoth among men. A steamroller coming straight at you," he boasted.

"Wilder has an extra problem with me because he could not accept losing for the first time, [and] made all those daft excuses about how I beat him, so [he] is unable to move on," Fury continued, referencing the American complaining that his heavy ring walk costume exhausted him before their second meeting, and that the Mancunian had loaded his gloves.

"It would have been better for him mentally to congratulate me on being the better man and start thinking about what he might do different. To shake hands. But he couldn’t bring himself to do that. No class.

"He will be at his most dangerous he’s ever been in this fight. I hope he can put up a better fight because I like big challenges. But he knows what’s coming in that ring. I told him last time what I was going to do to him. Smash him."

"He was too stupid to believe me. So I’m telling him to expect the same again. Only it will be over for him quicker than the seven rounds of our second fight," Fury predicted.

After that, Fury has no particular preference on his next opponent whether it is Joshua or Usyk, who now holds the most belts in the division.

"I don’t care about anybody else – they are not on my radar, only the ‘Bronze Bomber’, aka the Big Dosser [is].

"After him, we will talk, the promoters will do their job, and I will always do mine. Never worry about the Gypsy King fulfilling his end of a bargain – I will always f*cking fight until there’s not a fight left in me. You just worry about the other people doing their end of the bargain," he advised.

Claiming to feel a "million percent", Fury also said he is in "fantastic shape" and "fit as a fiddle".

"I’m absolutely ready, today, tomorrow and forever. I’ll always be ready and I’ll never make excuses."

"When I beat Wilder, I’ll be on to the next one, so on and so forth. It’s never about the opponent," he said.

"It’s the Tyson Fury show until I hang those gloves up. Until that day, it’s all about me, and the roadshow continues. All these years, 2008 to 2021 and I’m still undefeated.

"There ain’t a man out there born from his mother that can stop me or beat me. I haven’t seen one yet anyway. Maybe he’s not born, or maybe he is but he hasn’t got the guts to come and fight me," Fury signed off.