The Citizen (Gauteng)

Fury’s talking a good fight

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– Britain’s Tyson Fury (above) denied he was the “challenger” to heavyweigh­t world champion Deontay Wilder as he tried to rile the American by promising to make “lemonade out of a lemon” yesterday.

The two unbeaten boxers will meet for Wilder’s World Boxing Council version of the title in Los Angeles on December 1.

Fury, 30, is the former Internatio­nal Boxing Federation, World Boxing Associatio­n and World Boxing Organisati­on heavyweigh­t champion and remains undefeated in 27 fights.

During a press conference peppered with obscene language at broadcaste­r BT Sport’s studios, Fury rose from his seat to challenge Wilder to a “body spar” before the pair were separated by security staff.

“I am no challenger for no man. I’m the lineal heavyweigh­t champion of the world, the best of the best,” Fury said.

Fury thinks of himself as a world champion because he never lost his titles in the ring.

But he lost all his belts, for a variety of reasons, during a two-anda-half-year absence from the ring after his shock win over former champion Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015.

Fury, who struggled with mental health issues, returned to boxing with a farcical stoppage of Sefer Seferi in Manchester in June.

Having once turned up to a prefight conference with Klitschko dressed as Batman, Fury was more soberly attired yesterday.

But the language that has been a feature of his career was certainly in evidence as he tried to goad Wilder, who has won 39 of his 40 fights by way of knockout. –

London

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