Tyson Fury on how he’ll fight Oleksandr Usyk in rematch – and feeling ‘down’ over Anthony Joshua’s defeat
Tyson Fury insists he felt no disappointment at all when he lost the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world to Oleksandr Usyk in May.
But he was sad as he watched Anthony Joshua being crushed by Daniel Dubois last month.
“I feel sorry for him at the minute, being cleaned out in the last fight in five rounds, so he’ll have to do that again – or not – and then decide his future. I’ve said after every [Anthony Joshua] loss I’ve felt deflated.
“When an adversary loses, and it’s not to you, you do feel down and depressed about it. I felt sad for him. It was sad to see a worthy opponent lose his crown.”
But Fury versus Joshua is a super fight that British boxing fans would like to see, before it’s too late, and Fury says he’s up for it.
Anthony Joshua after being knocked down by Daniel Dubois in September. Pic: Reuters
“I’d still fight him whether he’s got five losses, 10 losses or 20. It’s not important because, at this stage of our careers, it’s about having good fights. I think it would still be an interesting fight for the paying pundit.”
Fury says that when he faces Usyk for the second time on 21 December in Riyadh for three of the four belts, he is changing nothing except the result.
‘B******s that comes with boxing’
“I do exactly the same thing, but don’t get a standing count in round nine and I’ve won the fight comfortably. Yeah, I’m gonna change not getting a knockdown.”
Fury jokes that it feels horrible to be the challenger and not the champion. “It’s really not important to me honestly. All the glitz and glamour… it’s all the b******s that comes with boxing. I’m here to do a job, get a pay cheque and go home.”
For this second fight, the element of surprise on either side has gone. They both have a fairly good idea of what the other can do. But was he impressed with how hard Usyk came back at him in that first meeting?
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Usyk triumphed over Tyson Fury in May
‘He’s gonna have to pay’
“I wasn’t impressed because he’s a boxer and that’s what he’s paid to do. He did his job and got a very small razor edge win, but as I’ve always said… winning by an inch or a mile is still winning.”
“He actually put the rematch back, I was really looking forward to having a good build-up to Halloween, bonfire night, Christmas and New Year. But he’s f***** all that up for me, so now I’ll only get three days of Christmas. He’s gonna have to pay for that!”
Fury talks money, and buying socks, with Jacquie Beltrao
Fury is already thinking of what happens next and it’s not a fight with Dubois, the new IBF champion, or Joshua. Instead he’d prefer another head-to-head with the Ukrainian.
Despite claiming he’s not bothered by history, the titles, or anything much outside the actual boxing, another fight with Usyk would have significance. It would give him a unique place in the history of the sport.
“I’d rather have a trilogy with Usyk, and then it would be 1-1, and I’d be the only heavyweight in history to have three trilogies. That would be quite impressive.”
The emergence of Saudi Arabia as a boxing world capital in the last few years has changed the landscape of the sport. The money on offer far exceeds what they’d normally expect to get in the UK.
Money is a ‘turn-on’
Fury doesn’t need the money and barely spends it. But he admits it gives him a thrill. “It’s just the excitement of earning it, it’s a turn-on. But when you’ve got it, it’s like ‘aaahhhh’… on to the next one now.
“I didn’t need an Usyk fight to go and buy what I want. I could do that at any given moment in the last 10 years. I’ve not bought one thing not even a pair of trainers, nothing. They were free… I did recently buy myself some new socks, only because they were on offer!”
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So Fury doesn’t need the money, the kudos of the victory, the hoopla around the sport. He would have us believe that none of it matters.
So why at 36, does he still do it?
“I love it. I love the thrill of the fight. I love the boxing, I like the training, it keeps me fit and out of trouble and on a straight and narrow path.”
Usyk vs Fury 2 is on Sky Sports Box Office on December 21.
UK
Teenager living in ‘continuous pain’ after surgeon Dr Yaser Jabbar carried out ‘inappropriate’ operations
A 15-year-old boy who was operated on twice by a now unlicensed Great Ormond Street surgeon is living with “continuous” pain.
Finias Sandu has been told by an independent review the procedures he underwent on both his legs were “unacceptable” and “inappropriate” for his age.
The teenager from Essex was born with a condition that causes curved bones in his legs.
Aged seven, a reconstructive procedure was carried out on Finias’s left leg, lengthening the limb by 3.5cm.
A few years later, the same operation was carried out on his right leg which involved wearing an invasive and heavy metal frame for months.
He has now been told by independent experts these procedures should not have taken place and concerns have been raised over a lack of imaging being taken prior to the operations.
Yaser Jabbar rescinded his UK medical licence last year. Pic: LinkedIn
His doctor at London’s prestigious Great Ormond Street Hospital was former consultant orthopaedic surgeon Yaser Jabbar. Sky News has spoken to others he treated.
Mr Jabbar also did not arrange for updated scans or for relevant X-rays to be conducted ahead of the procedures.
The surgeries have been found to have caused Finias “harm” and left him in constant pain.
“The pain is there every day, every day I’m continuously in pain,” he told Sky News.
“It’s not something really sharp, although it does get to a certain point where it hurts quite a lot, but it’s always there. It just doesn’t leave, it’s a companion to me, just always there.”
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Finias’s surgery pictures
Care of over 700 patients being assessed
Mr Jabbar rescinded his UK medical licence in January last year after working at Great Ormond Street between 2017 and 2022.
The care of his 700-plus patients is being assessed, with some facing corrective surgery, among them Finias.
“Trusting somebody is hard to do, knowing what they have done to me physically and emotionally, you know, it’s just too much to comprehend for me,” he said.
“It wasn’t something just physically, like my leg pain and everything else. It was emotionally, because I put my trust in that specific doctor. My parents and I don’t really understand the more scientific terms, we just went by what he said.”
Doctors refused to treat Finias because of his surgeries
Finias and his family relocated to their native Romania soon after the reconstructive frame was removed from his right leg in the summer of 2021.
The pain worsened and they sought advice from doctors in Romania, who refused to treat Finias because of the impact of his surgeries.
Dozens of families seeking legal claims
His mother Cornelia Sandu is “furious” and feels her trust in the hospital has been shattered. They are now among dozens of families seeking legal claims.
Cyrus Plaza from Hudgell Solicitors is representing the family. He said: “In cases where it has been identified that harm was caused, we want to see Great Ormond Street Hospital agreeing to pay interim payments of compensation for the children, so that if they need therapy or treatment now, they can access it.”
Finias is accessing therapy and mental health support as he prepares for corrective surgery later in the year.
A spokesperson for Great Ormond Street Hospital told Sky News: “We are deeply sorry to Finias and his family, and all the patients and families who have been impacted.
“We want every patient and family who comes to our hospital to feel safe and cared for. We will always discuss concerns families may have and, where they submit claims, we will work to ensure the legal process can be resolved as quickly as possible.”
Finias with his mother and sister
Service not ‘safe for patients’
Sky News has attempted to contact Mr Jabbar.
An external review into the wider orthopaedic department at the hospital began in September 2022.
It was commissioned after the Royal College of Surgeons warned the hospital’s lower limb reconstruction service was not “safe for patients or adequate to meet demand”.
The investigation is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Sir Keir Starmer has said closer ties with the EU will be good for the UK’s jobs, bills and borders ahead of a summit where he could announce a deal with the bloc.
The government is set to host EU leaders in London on Monday as part of its efforts to “reset” relations post-Brexit.
A deal granting the UK access to a major EU defence fund could be on the table, according to reports – but disagreements over a youth mobility scheme and fishing rights could prove to be a stumbling block.
The prime minister has appeared to signal a youth mobility deal could be possible, telling The Times that while freedom of movement is a “red line”, youth mobility does not come under this.
His comment comes after Kaja Kallas, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, said on Friday work on a defence deal was progressing but “we’re not there yet”.
Sir Keir met European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen later that day while at a summit in Albania.
Ursula von der Leyen and Sir Keir had a brief meeting earlier this week. Pic: PA
If agreed, the deal will be the third in two weeks, following trade agreements with India and the US.
Sir Keir said: “First India, then the United States – in the last two weeks alone that’s jobs saved, faster growth and wages rising.
“More money in the pockets of British working people, achieved through striking deals not striking poses.
“Tomorrow, we take another step forward, with yet more benefits for the United Kingdom as the result of a strengthened partnership with the European Union.”
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Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said she is “worried” about what the PM might have negotiated.
Ms Badenoch – who has promised to rip up the deal with the EU if it breaches her red lines on Brexit – said: “Labour should have used this review of our EU trade deal to secure new wins for Britain, such as an EU-wide agreement on Brits using e-gates on the continent.
“Instead, it sounds like we’re giving away our fishing quotas, becoming a rule-taker from Brussels once again and getting free movement by the back door. This isn’t a reset, it’s a surrender.”
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