Author: quyen1

British boxing legend Lennox Lewis has insisted that Tyson Fury cannot be considered the greatest of all-time until he fights Anthony Joshua.

After months of build-up, Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will finally compete for the undisputed heavyweight title in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.

The Gypsy King brings his WBC belt to the table and with it, one of the most lucrative careers of the modern era, as he prepares to take on his Ukrainian counter-part.

Fury has long been regarded as one of Britain’s best ever boxers but there have been suggestions that he could be entering the debate for greatest boxer of all time.

But, would he become the GOAT after beating Usyk? Or does Fury still need to face-off against long-term rival Anthony Joshua to claim that title?

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Tyson Fury (left) and Oleksandr Usyk (right) will compete for the undisputed heavyweight title

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One boxing legend claimed that Fury cannot be the GOAT until he fights Anthony Joshua

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Lennox Lewis (right) offered his take on the bout during an exclusive interview with Mail Sport

Interestingly, Saturday’s bout is boxing’s first undisputed heavyweight championship fight since Lennox Lewis took on Evander Holyfield in 1999.

Fellow Brit Lewis won the bout and, in turn, claimed the WBC, WBA, IBF and was thus the last man to hold all available titles. Back then the WBO was not regarded as a major title.

Fury and Usyk now have the chance to follow in Lewis’ footsteps and the former champion has admitted that both are ‘worthy’ of the undisputed title.

Speaking exclusively to Mail Sport, Lewis said: ‘Yes they are. They’re definitely worthy because they’ve boxed for it.

‘Their records show they’ve worked hard in their life and their careers to become undisputed, so I’m going to be happy for the winner’.

Fury will enter the ring nearly seven months after his last bout, where he overcame adversity to beat boxing novice Francis Ngannou after 10 rounds of action.

Ahead of the bout, Lewis has warned Fury that he should not underestimate the Ukrainian, as he seemingly did for his fight with former UFC champion Ngannou.

Lewis said: ‘This fight is not going to be an easy fight for Tyson Fury.

Fury (left) and Usyk (right) will finally face-off inside the boxing ring in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

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Fury has previously claimed that by beating Usyk, he would become the GOAT in boxing

‘He’s up against an undisputed champion. A winner. Usyk is going to try and use up every advantage he can to try and win this fight’.

In the build-up to the bout, Fury has suggested that – if he wins – he will surpass all of those before him and become the greatest boxer of all-time.

However Lewis has challenged that claim and insisted that Fury must fight British rival Anthony Joshua in order to earn that title.

When asked if Fury would become the GOAT by beating Usyk, Lewis said: ‘No, there’s more to be done.

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Lewis warned that the Gypsy King should not underestimate his Ukrainian counter-part

‘People will be saying: ‘Oh, he didn’t fight AJ!’. So, he still has to fight AJ. I think that’s the fight the British public are going to love and that they will want.’

Fury and Joshua have long-been rumoured to share the ring however a bout is yet to materialise.

However, after Joshua tipped Usyk to shock the Gypsy King in their bout on Saturday night, there could be even more reason for the two of them to face off.

Reflecting on how he envisions a bout between the two British stars going, Lewis said: ‘I think it’d be a good fight. They both have good skills.

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Lewis heaped praise on Joshua’s right-hand ahead of a potential bout with his British rival

‘Everybody’s going to be looking at AJ’s right hand and whether he can hit Tyson Fury’.

Though Lewis is preparing for his title – as the latest undisputed heavyweight champion – to be taken, the veteran insists he’s not fazed by the situation.

He said: ‘It was my goal to become the undisputed champion. It’s a record that I got but it’s a record that is there to be broken.

‘It’s for somebody else to come and break that record and hold it for 25 years, like I did’.

Mike Tyson has an open invitation to train Francis Ngannou after helping the former UFC champion prepare for his boxing debut.

Ngannou shocked the world when he dropped WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and almost caused a monumental upset at the ‘Battle of the Baddest’ last October.

Fury almost suffered a humiliating upset against NgannouCredit: Getty

Ahead of the bout, Mike Tyson joined the MMA fighter’s camp and ultimately helped the Cameroonian KO artist push Fury to a controversial split decision.

Dewey Cooper, who combines his job as Ngannou’s striking coach with running Team Combat League, has now explained how the boxing legend came to join their camp and highlighted the main benefit of having him in the gym.

“Mike used to come to my fights, so we’ve been friends for a long time,” Cooper told talkSPORT.com.

“Four years ago, Francis went on Mike Tyson’s podcast, and Francis was talking about fighting Tyson Fury and people like that way back then.

“He made an agreement with Mike Tyson that if he did a boxing fight Mike would have to work his corner because Mike Tyson was so influential in Francis wanting to take this journey.

“Mike had to be a part of it. He trained Francis when he could. He had a very busy schedule. He and I are good friends, so whenever he came in, he took over. It’s Mike Tyson!

“I think the main factor he played, besides the great training and instructions, was the motivation of Francis. When Mike Tyson came to the gym, Francis lit up like a kid on Christmas morning about to open his gifts.”

Ngannou’s performance against Fury earned him another mega-fight against former two-time world champion Anthony Joshua, who he will face in Saudi Arabia on March 8.

The former UFC star benefited from his time with ‘Iron Mike’Credit: Mike Tyson – Instagram

Dewey Cooper loved having Tyson in camp tooCredit: Getty

Cooper expects Tyson to join their camp again and says he is happy to have ‘Iron Mike’ play as big a role as Ngannou wants him to over the next couple of months.

He added: “Whatever way Francis wants Mike Tyson to be involved he will be.

“I love Mike, we go back way before any of this Francis Ngannou–UFC stuff was happening anyway.

“So, I hope he will come through like he did last time and keep implementing his mentality and technique.

“I’m sure he will, but either way, [Ngannou] is going to be prepared and ready to go against Anthony Joshua.”

Even though he helped Francis Ngannou make Tyson Fury have a disappointing day, legend Mike Tyson still supported “The Gypsy King” before the big fight with Oleksandr Usyk.

Not long after winning against Francis Ngannou, Tyson Fury – the current holder of the WBC title – was confirmed to postpone the unification of the heavyweight championship titles with the owner of the WBA Super, IBF, WBO and IBO belts Oleksandr Usyk to February 17, 2024.

 

Fury’s performance against Ngannou was considered “disappointing” when “The Gypsy King” did not show the dominance expected against an MMA champion. Not only that, he was also knocked down by Ngannou in the third round and caused difficulties in the final rounds.

However, before the big heavyweight war, Mike Tyson – the heavyweight legend and coach of Francis Ngannou, still believes that the recent match should not be seen as a reason to underestimate the British giant.

“Listen, you have to understand that he (Fury) is still the champion. He gave Ngannou a chance and it was just a bad night for him, everyone has times like that.”

“I’m still waiting for this match, a match worth watching. I will support Tyson Fury because I believe he will dominate in strength. He is still the strongest boxer in the world, especially in the heavyweight division. Great fighters still fail, but they never stop defeating other great opponents.” 

Mike Tyson still believes that Tyson Fury should not be underestimated just because of a poor match.

Fans have reason to worry about Tyson Fury after what happened against Francis Ngannou. However, the truth is that Fury is still a much larger opponent with a height/arm span ratio of 2.06/2.16 meters, compared to Oleksandr Usyk’s ratio of 1.91/1.98 meters. With this body type, it will not be easy for Usyk to create pressure on the WBC heavyweight title holder like Francis Ngannou did.

Since 2004 when WBO was officially recognized as one of the four largest boxing organizations in the world along with WBA, WBC, IBF, no heavyweight boxer has held the championship of these four organizations together. at the time. There were times when fights between Anthony Joshua (WBA, IBF, WBO) vs. Deontay Wilder (WBC) was expected to take place, but it was deadlocked until the belts changed hands one by one.

Now, the audience is waiting for the undisputed champion of the heavyweight division to appear after the match between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. The winner will continue the achievements of the legendary Lennox Lewis in 2001, with three WBA, WBC and IBF titles.

TYSON FURY is leaving no sparring stone unturned with a handful of top-quality lefties preparing him for Oleksandr Usyk.

The planet’s No1 southpaw cruiserweight Jai Opetaia has had to leave the Riyadh camp as he now has a fight on the February 17 undercard and needs to prepare specifically for his rematch with Mairis Briedis.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will fight for the undisputed heavyweight title next monthCredit: EPA

The pair will take part in the first undisputed heavyweight fight in over 25 yearsCredit: GETTY

The WBC heavyweight king give his first glimpse at his secretive training camp this past weekendCredit: INSTAGRAM@TYSONFURY

Undefeated Canadian Alexis Barriere, South Africa’s Kevin Lerena and Brit prospect Moses Itauma are Fury’s chief sparring partners. Fury’s camp also includes his first amateur coach Steve Egan (green shirt front row), as well as current head trainer Sugarhill Steward (second row, second from last on right). Strength and conditioning coach Kristian Blacklock (second-row lime green shirt) and nutritionist Greg Marriott (on Fury’s left) are also in Riyadh to whip The Gypsy King into fighting shape. Fury has also brought his massage therapist massage Matt Towey (behind the camera) to keep him limber.Fury’s cousin Issac Lowe (second row fourth from last) has also made the trip out to Riyadh, as well as featherweight prospect Joe McGuinness (second row second from last on right. Former WBC women’s featherweight champ Jelena Mrdjenovich (front row on the left) is also part of camp Brother Shane (next to Barriere) is also in the Kingdom camp.Credit: INSTAGRAM@MATTMASSAGE96

But Team Fury is still brimming with unorthodox talent from all over the world.

Including Britain’s most exciting prospect, the South African underdog who almost knocked out giant Daniel Dubois and a huge unbeaten Canadian.

Tyson Fury’s sparring partners

Alexis Barriere

From: Canada

Age: 28

Stance: Southpaw

Record: 11-0 (9KOs)

The least famous member of the new Fury fraternity but an eye-catching shape and early record.

The 6ft 4in Quebec puncher turned pro in 2021 and has raced into double figures and a healthy number of early finishes.

Barriere only boxed out of Canada a couple of times – as a raw amateur and a pro – but already looks at home among the Traveller clan in Saudi Arabia.

The heavy-handed unknown is one inch taller than Usyk but usually boxes close to the same 16st the Ukraine icon prefers since moving up from cruiserweight.

Kevin Barriere is undefeated in 11 professional fightsCredit: INSTAGRAM@ALEXIS_BARRIERE

Despite struggling to make a huge name for himself, so far, Barriere has done sparring rounds with established names like Filip Hrgovic and Oscar Rivas.

Kevin Lerena

From: South Africa

Age: 31

Stance: Southpaw

Record: 30-2

The Johannesburg tough guy would be forgiven for hating British boxers after his cruel loss to Daniel Dubois in December 2022.

The visitor – boxing DDD on the undercard of Fury’s trilogy fight with Derek Chisora at Spurs – almost pulled off a sensational upset.

Cherry picked as a warm-up opponent for Dubois to prepare for Usyk, Lerena was supposed to pose a few problems and collapse.

South African Kevin Lerena is doing his best to imitate Usyk’s unorthodox styleCredit: AP

But he clipped Dubois around the temple and the loss of balance and belief sent him to the canvas three times in the opening rounds.

Then trainer Shane McGuigan did a superb job in helping Dubois recover and he scored a stoppage win in round three.

Lerena bounced back with two wins last year and is the perfect size and stance to imitate Usyk.

His heavy hands and solid resolve will also make him an ideal training partner for Fury to work alongside.

Lerena almost knocked out Brit Daniel Dubois in December 2022Credit: GETTY

Moses Itauma

From: EnglandAge: 19Stance: SouthpawRecord: 7-0

What sort of 19-year-old dreams of fighting Tyson Fury for Christmas? This special one.

In September the freakishly talented teen told us: “I know everyone wants to see the Fury vs Usyk fight for all of the belts but I only really want it so I hopefully get the chance to spar Tyson.

“I’m no help with the Ngannou fight but I do think I am ideal for Usyk so hopefully I get to go soon and learn from him.”

Thanks to manager Francis Warren, Itauma is in Riyadh right now imitating all the skills and threats that Usyk poses to the Gypsy King, while preparing for his eighth professional outing on the undercard.

With Opetaia now removed, Itauma has probably been promoted inside the ranks, too.

It will be a magnificent learning curve for the Kent wonderkid – who has been made mandatory challenger for the English title and plans to reign after the Fury-Usyk-AJ era winds down.

Undefeated Brit heavyweight Moses Itauma is giving Tyson Fury plenty of looks in campCredit: RICHARD PELHAM

The 19-year-old has blasted through all seven of his professional opponentsCredit: RICHARD PELHAMThe rest of Team Fury

Kristian Blackblock – Strength and Conditioning coach

Greg Marriott – Nutritionist

Matt Towey – Sports Massage Therapist

Prince John James Fury – Son

Issac Lowe – Training Partner and Cousin

Jelena Mrdjenovich – Former WBC female super featherweight champion and training partner

Joe McGuinness – Undefeated featherweight prospect

ANTHONY JOSHUA’s long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury could finally come to fruition this year.

AJ is back in world title contention following consecutive wins over Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin last year.

Anthony Joshua is back in world title contention following three wins on the bounceCredit: MATCHROOM BOXING

A Battle of Britain with Tyson Fury could come to fruition at the end of the year for AJCredit: GETTY

Boxing legend Mike Tyson reckons Fury will do a number on AJCredit: GETTY

His trio of wins have put him on the cusp of potentially fighting for the IBF heavyweight title, which is expected to become vacant after Fury’s undisputed title fight with Oleksandr Usyk next month.

Reclaiming the IBF crown for the second time could pave the way for a historic domestic dust-up with Fury, provided his fellow Brit gets through Usyk.

The boxing world is currently divided over who will win the showdown following AJ’s resurgence and Fury’s embarrassing display against debutant Francis Ngannou last October.

But boxing icon Tyson has already made a definitive prediction for the Battle of Britain, telling Haute Living: “I love Joshua, but I think Tyson’s too elusive he’s not going to hit him.

“We’re keeping it honest right?

“I like Joshua a lot and Joshua maybe punches harder than [Deontay] Wilder, but he doesn’t punch faster than Wilder.

“If he doesn’t punch faster than Wilder, he’s not going to f**king touch this guy.

“That’s just what I see. He punches hard, but he doesn’t punch fast.

“If Tyson Fury can get away from Wilder’s fast punches, then Joshua might be in trouble.”

Joshua’s road to a potential Fury fight goes through former UFC heavyweight king Ngannou, who he faces in Saudi Arabia on March 8.

And the Watford warrior is refusing to underestimate The Predator after watching him shock the world and put Fury on his backside in their controversial crossover clash.

He said: “If Tyson underestimated Ngannou, I sure won’t. Francis has lost the element of surprise with me.

“We knew Francis had a reputation as the biggest puncher in the world but the surprise was how well he boxed.

“He was exceptional on the inside and made life very complicated for Tyson.

“So much so that I do belong to the opinion that he beat Fury.”

Former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson is reportedly in talks with an MMA legend over a boxing match in Saudi Arabia later this year.

Tyson retired from boxing in 2005, but returned to the ring in 2020 for an exhibition bout with Roy Jones Jr that was scored a split draw.

He now seems to be targeting another comeback, but this time against a fighter who made his name inside the Octagon.

Russian star Fedor Emelianenko is being lined up as a potential opponent for Tyson, and negotiations are already underway for the fight to take place in the Middle East in 2024, according to the MMA Pack.

Emelianenko is an iconic name in MMA circles, having fought some of the biggest stars in the sport including Chael Sonnen, Frank Mir and Fabricio Werdum over the course of his 23-year career.

Mike Tyson is reportedly in talks to fight an MMA legend in Saudi Arabia later this year

Tyson is a former heavyweight world champion, but has been retired for almost two decades

Tyson could be set to face Russian MMA icon Fedor Emelianenko (above)  in a boxing match

Emelianenko is now 47, but only stepped away from MMA last year after losing to Ryan Bader at Bellator 290.

Tyson is 10 years his senior at 57, and has not had a competitive bout in almost two decades.

However, he has regularly posted clips on social media of himself training on the pads in recent years and has remained in good condition.

He also came back into the spotlight last year when he worked in Francis Ngannou’s corner for his crossover clash with Tyson Fury.

Ngannou sent Fury to the canvas in round three and was widely praised for his performance in the contest, but Fury walked away with a narrow points win.

Helping Ngannou from the other side of the ropes may have made Tyson hungry to have another fight, and Emelianenko talked up a potential bout between the pair last year.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani, he said: ‘MMA is done, 100 percent. I’m not going back to MMA.

‘I want to try myself in boxing. I think that’s going to be interesting. Mike Tyson would be an interesting fight.’

He could now get his wish, and the duo may be set for major paydays if Saudi Arabia agrees to host the event.

What did Mike Tyson say when Tyson Fury was about to fight Anthony Joshua again?

Soon, a highly anticipated reunion will come. It is a rematch between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Before the match, Mike Tyson had a few words to share about these two main characters. For him, he doesn’t value Anthony Joshua’s tactics too highly. He thinks that Anthony Joshua’s fighting style is too easy to be caught. Facing an experienced opponent like Tyson Fury, it will be a really difficult problem.

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua: What do audiences expect?

In the early stages of 2021, one of the most anticipated matches by the audience is Tyson Fury (WBC) vs. Anthony Joshua (WBO, IBF, WBA). Those are matches within the heavyweight framework.

Both are top stars in the world-class heavyweight division. Fans evaluate this as an evenly matched match. But experts do not view this match as balanced. Experts have a higher opinion of Tyson Fury’s ability to win. Although in 2012, Anthony Joshua shocked the world with his Olympic gold medal.

What did Mike Tyson say when Tyson Fury was about to fight Anthony Joshua again?

“An exciting fight, Joshua was at a master level. But you can see his punch, he shows it every time he throws a punch.” – Mike Tyson commented in a conversation with Joshua’s manager Eddie Hearn.

“It’s a recipe for disaster if you fight Tyson Fury and expose yourself like that, against a guy over 2 meters tall.”

Is Mike Tyson’s opinion well-founded?

Mike Tyson’s comments are not completely unfounded. Because up until now, Tyson Fury’s fighting style that takes advantage of his tall body, speed and superior evasion ability has always been a very difficult target for his opponents to grasp.

On the contrary, Anthony Joshua had a time when he was stuck between two options: “flexibility” and “strength” in his fighting style. Along with the loss in height and arm span, just a small mistake against Tyson Fury can cause him to lose the initiative against his opponent.

The super match between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua has entered the final stage of negotiations. When “obstacles” such as the request to defend the title from the WBO with Joshua, or the rematch clause for Deontay Wilder with Tyson Fury, were all handled satisfactorily.

Who is Mike Tyson?

Michael Gerard “Mike” Tyson is a former American boxer. He was once the absolute heavyweight champion in boxing, the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF championship belts at the age of 20 years, 4 months and 22 days.

Tyson won his first 19 professional fights by knockout, 12 of them in the first round. Tyson won the WBC title after defeating Trevor Berbick by technical knockout in the second round. In 1987, Tyson won the WBA and IBF titles after defeating James Smith and Tony Tucker. This made Tyson the first heavyweight champion to hold all three WBA, WBC and IBF belts simultaneously, and the only one to unify them to date.

RENAN FERREIRA sent a brutal message to Francis Ngannou following his stunning 20 SECOND knockout of Ryan Bader.

The Professional Fighters League champion headlined in Saudi Arabia against Bellator star Ryan Bader.

Renan Ferreira knocked out Ryan Bader

And not only would the winner leave Riyadh with bragging rights and a championship belt but also a life-changing bout against Ngannou.

The PFL announced the victor would be the man to welcome Ngannou back to the MMA cage.

And Ferreira made short work of Bader after dropping the former UFC contender with a right hand in the opening stages.

It did not take very long for the referee to then jump in as the giant 6ft 8in Brazilian reined down brutal strikes.

Ngannou sat next to Mike Tyson cageside and watched on as Ferreira called him out following his KO of the night.

He said: “I’m the record breaker, I’m the record setter. Francis, where you at? I’m waiting, let’s do this. I’m the champion out here.”

Ngannou, 37, last year walked out on the UFC to sign for rivals PFL, who allowed him to pursue boxing along with his MMA commitments.

He faced Tyson Fury, 35, on his boxing debut and astonishingly dropped the Gypsy King, only to lose a controversial split-decision.

Now, Ngannou returns on March 8 back in Saudi against Anthony Joshua, 34.

But the PFL have already confirmed he will fight Ferreira by the time he makes his MMA comeback.

And when Ngannou entered talks to sign with the PFL, he negotiated that his next opponent in the cage must be paid $2m (£1.5m).

So Ferreira – who won the PFL’s $1m season last year – looks in line for another healthy payday when Ngannou swaps the ring for the cage.

FRANCIS NGANNOU has dropped a training bombshell ahead of his clash with Anthony Joshua.

The former UFC heavyweight champion is a little over two weeks away from throwing down with AJ in a second successive lucrative Saudi showdown.

Francis Ngannou throws down with former unified heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua next monthCredit: PA

The former UFC champ had Mike Tyson help prepare him for his boxing debut last yearCredit: AFP

Iron Mike hasn’t been a part of Ngannou’s latest training campCredit: AFP

Ngannou, 37, shocked the world in his professional boxing debut last October against Tyson Fury, who he cut and dropped in his decision loss.

Former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson helped the Cameroonian clubber prepare for his boxing bow but has been absent from his latest training camp.

Ngannou told The Mirror: “To be honest with this fight since my training was here [Riyadh], we didn’t get Mike Tyson here.

“He came in like three times [for Fury], he was more advising.

“He would come and watch our training, he would be there to give advice.”

Despite coming up short against WBC king Fury, MMA man mountain Ngannou is confident of having his hand raised against Joshua courtesy of a devastating knockout.

He told MMA Fighting: “If AJ takes the punch that Fury took, I don’t guarantee that he’s standing up.

“I’ve heard that he doesn’t have a chin. I’m going to find out.”

During an appearance on the High Performance Podcast, he added: “Never say never. Nothing is impossible. We don’t know the strength of Anthony Joshua.

“Even though I don’t believe he has that strength, we’re going to find out.

“I’m going to be the one taking his soul.”

Joshua, 34, insists he’ll be minding his Ps and Qs in the crossover clash, saying: “If Tyson underestimated Ngannou, I sure won’t.

“Francis has lost the element of surprise with me.

“We knew Francis had a reputation as the biggest puncher in the world but the surprise was how well he boxed.

“He was exceptional on the inside and made life very complicated for Tyson.

“So much so that I do belong to the opinion that he beat Fury.”

WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury revealed that legendary Mike Tyson’s financial sponsors have proposed a boxing match worth up to 620 million USD.

The difference in age and body shape between Mike Tyson and Tyson Fury. Photo: The Sun.

“Mike Tyson’s people called me and offered to fight at a price of up to 620 million USD. But I think this is an unreasonable request, the price is crazy. Nothing happened and there was no agreement.” Which agreement is signed? ” Fury told IFL TV.

After announcing his return to the ring, Tyson received many offers to fight in charity matches. But “Iron Fist” intends to compete with old rival Evander Holyfield, even challenging 31-year-old champion Tyson Fury.

Fury currently holds the WBC heavyweight title after his victory over Deontay Wilder in February. The Russian boxer also confirmed his agreement to fight Anthony Joshua in 2021 to determine the absolute champion, after having a rematch. 3rd time with Wilder.

“The Gypsy King” also said he had received a request from ESPN to fight Tyson: “I was offered an exhibition match with Tyson from ESPN for more than 10 million USD. I see this as the real deal.” reasonable proposal”.

Fury currently has an unbeaten record with 30 wins and one draw, including 21 knockout wins. Regarding Tyson’s proposal, many experts believe that the American legend cannot defeat his juniors, and may even die in the ring.

“I admire Tyson, but can’t fight him. If I win, I’m a bully. If I lose, I’m trash for losing to an old man. I can make money from this match , but that’s money I don’t need when fighting a man who is no longer the best,” Fury added.