Tyson Fury says undisputed heavyweight clash is ‘D-Day’ for him and Oleksandr Usyk as they won’t be able to compete in another era
This weekend’s undisputed heavyweight clash is “D-Day” for both fighters, Tyson Fury has warned, as he renewed his verbal feud with his opponent.
The British boxer is set to face off against Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
While he had nothing but praise for his boxing, ahead of the estimated $240m clash, he restated that he regarded Usyk as “an ugly little rabbit dosser”.
The long-awaited fight will see the unbeaten rivals face each other for the first time as well as an undisputed champion crowned for the first time since 1999.
The fight was originally scheduled for February, but had to be pushed back after Fury suffered a “freak” cut on his face.
With the fight just a few days away, tensions have ratcheted up after an incident at a hotel during a media day this week saw Fury’s dad, John Fury, appear to headbutt a member of Usyk’s entourage.
Speaking to Sky News’s Jacqui Beltrao, Fury said that the fight was his and Usyk’s “D-Day” due to their age.
He said: “I think we’ll find out on Saturday whose destiny it is, mine or his.
“We both can’t have the destiny of being the undisputed in this era, and we won’t be young enough to go into another era undisputed.
“So it’s D-Day for both fighters.”
Fury spoke out ahead of the fight this weekend
Fury and Usyk square off in a press conference. Pic: Reuters
‘Another day at the office’
However, despite the gravity of the event, Fury said he was unbothered by the pressure and described it as “just another day in the office”.
Having already achieved his childhood ambition of becoming heavyweight champion of the world, Fury said he had been “riding the wave of that” ever since.
Fury said: “For me, it’s just another day in the office, I’m here to get paid… and go home.
“It’s never been about belts and all that sort of stuff, all that sort of stuff is based on someone else’s opinion.
“For me it’s about getting my money, going home, walking the dog, doing the school run, just being left alone really.
“I’m not interested in going into movies and having a successful career after boxing.”
However, he had a few choice words for his opponent, Usyk, despite describing him as a “good fighter” and “accomplished boxer”.
“I’ve never said Usyk isn’t a good boxer, I’ve called him an ugly little rabbit dosser. That’s what I’ve called him. But I’ve never said his boxing was bad,” Fury told Sky News.
However, Fury admitted his days fighting in the UK were likely behind him – due to what he claimed were the lengthy delays getting a bout organised and off the ground in his home country.
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Tyson Fury’s dad clashes with Usyk’s team
Despite Fury’s strong words, Usyk has claimed he isn’t being drawn on anything said this week.
“I’m doing good, I’m happy and I’m hungry. I don’t care how Tyson will be this week. I’m ready,” he said.
He continued: “For me 18 May is important, what Tyson does in the press conferences doesn’t matter.”
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How to watch the fight
Ring walks for the main fight are expected to take place at 11pm on 18 May, with coverage of the build-up starting at 4pm on Sky Sports Box Office.
Two hours of the undercard are also available on Sky Sports Action from 4pm.
The main event will be shown live on Sky Sports Box Office and Sky Sports Box Office HD.
The event is £24.95 for Sky customers in the UK and €27.95 for Sky (and Virgin Media) customers in the Republic of Ireland.
The crash involving a cargo ship and oil tanker off the East Yorkshire coast is bad news for the sea, fish and air in the area. What we don’t know yet is quite how bad it will be.
That depends on a few things – but the speed of the collision, clouds of filthy black smoke from the fires and the leaked fuel are certainly worrying.
Firstly, it matters what was on board those two massive vessels.
Follow live: Jet fuel spilling into sea after tanker collision
Analytics firm Vortexa estimates the 183m-long tanker was carrying about 130,000 barrels of jet fuel (kerosene), which is now leaking into the sea.
Jet fuel is not as sticky or viscous as heavier types of oil, thankfully, so it’s less likely to clog the feathers and fur of birds and seals. It can also be broken down by natural bacteria.
But it can still poison fish and kill animals and plants on the shoreline if it makes its way into the soil there.
The Marine Conservation Society has pointed out the site in the Humber estuary is close to some protected areas and is important for seabirds and harbour porpoises.
And both ships will have been powered by a dirtier, heavier kind of oil – likely marine gas oil or heavy fuel oil, though we don’t know the details yet.
Heavy fuel oil is nasty stuff.
Pic: Bartek Smialek/PA
Cheap, thick and tar-like, it can smother animals and is very dangerous if they consume it, and is extremely difficult to clean up. Let’s hope this isn’t creeping around the North Sea already.
We don’t know how much of either the jet fuel or the oil powering the ships has leaked, or how much will be burned off in the violent fires – which themselves are ploughing black smoke and filthy air pollution into the surrounding atmosphere.
And we don’t know for sure what was on the Solong cargo ship and if, or what, will go into the sea.
Cargo ship ‘had sodium cyanide on board’
It was carrying 15 containers of sodium cyanide among other cargo, according to a report from maritime data provider Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
The container vessel was also transporting an unknown quantity of alcohol, said the casualty report – an assessment of incidents at sea – citing a message from the local coastguard.
Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down, and potentially can choke or trap animals.
Many of us have seen that uncomfortable viral video of a turtle having a straw yanked out of its nose. Previous accidents on cargo ships have seen plastic Lego pieces wash up in Cornwall 25 years later.
Read more:
How UK North Sea platforms dump gas
Secondly, the impact depends on the sea and weather conditions around it.
Things like the wind and currents affect how an oil spill spreads in the sea. Scientists can draw up computer models to simulate how the oil could behave.
Thirdly, it matters how quickly this is all tackled and then cleaned up, if necessary, and if it can be.
Usually the slower the response, the worse the impact.
The coastguard has said the incident “remains ongoing” and it has started assessing the “likely counter pollution response” that will be required.
Such a response might need the help of numerous public bodies: the government environment department, the transport department, the Environment Agency and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
So for now the best we can hope for – aside from the welfare of the people involved – is that not all the oil is spilled or burnt, that conditions are calm and that rescuers and those cleaning up can work swiftly.
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