Oleksandr Usyk has warned Tyson Fury he has a secret army of soldiers at his disposal after the Brit’s dad John headbutted one of his friends in Saudi Arabia.
Oleksandr Usyk has delivered a warning to Tyson Fury (Image: Getty)
In a tense lead-up to the undispited heavyweight championship showdown, Oleksandr Usyk has issued a stark warning to Tyson Fury following an altercation involving their teams. After John Fury, Tyson’s father, headbutted a member of Usyk’s entourage, leaving himself bloodied, Usyk made it clear that his team is not to be messed with.
The clash occurred at a hotel where both fighters’ camps escalated tensions, resulting in the incident with Fury Sr. and Stanislav Stepchuk.
Despite the heated moment, Usyk maintained composure and warned the Furys of his team’s readiness to defend themselves if necessary. Usyk, poised for the upcoming bout, expressed his disappointment at the incident but stood firm on his team’s capabilities: “It’s bad behaviour from Tyson’s team,” Usyk said.
“We are professional athletes, not street fighters, and this is a big event for our people, the UK and Ukraine,” he stated. He further emphasized the discipline and strength of his team, saying, “If they want to destabilise my team, it’s not possible because I don’t just have professional coaches and trainers, I have professional soldiers.”
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“My team is very good at wanting to fight, not boxing but street fighting, shooting, knives and wrestling. Of course it’s disappointing that it happened at an event like this, because it is about discipline.
“But I am not disappointed by my team, they are disappointed because I pulled them back and stopped them from fighting. They wanted to go, they were looking over at me waiting for the signal to go.
“They were waiting for the thumbs up but I gave them the thumbs down. ‘Back, back please’, I said. They were not happy but we had to behave properly. The situation doesn’t matter to me, it’s just more motivation for my team.”
Stepchuk was left with a bruised forehead but Usyk’s team decided to take no further action. Fury Sr did later apologize directly to Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh for the incident which spoiled the start of fight week.
Fury and Usyk will come face to face 48 hours before they meet in the ring to crown the division’s first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999. Usyk will now use the altercation as extra motivation ahead of the landmark first bell.
“My friend did not bleed because he is a powerful guy,” he added. “He is a street guy. Did you see the video? He was like a Pitbull. He’s only my friend, it’s a secret who the soldiers are in my team. It’s bad, it’s just bad and a stupid situation. I don’t want to call John ‘bad’ because I don’t know him or his mind. But he hit my friend, my team and it’s just another reason for me to win in the ring.”
