‘I want AJ to win – I’d much prefer to beat him up’
FURY FEARS LOSING A £200m JACKPOT
TYSON FURY is banking on Anthony Joshua beating Oleksandr Usyk because it would cost him millions if he loses.
Joshua defends his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight belts against Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday and Fury is keen for his big rival to win.
Unbeaten WBC champion Fury dreams of fighting for the undisputed world heavyweight crown and knows he would get a much bigger payday if he faced Joshua.
Fury was due to take on Joshua in Jeddah in the summer, only for their £200million super-fight to fall through when he was ordered to face Deontay Wilder for a third time.
He knows a fight with Usyk for the undisputed crown would not generate numbers like that and says he will be rooting for his fellow Briton on Saturday.
Fury will take time out from his training camp for his trilogy fight withWilder in Las Vegas on October 9, which is live on BT Sport Box Office, to watch Saturday’s clash and admits he has a vested interest in Joshua winning. “I watch all the boxing fights, every single one that happens, so of course I’m going to watch a heavyweight championship fight for sure,” said the self-styled Gypsy King. “Do I want him to win? Definitely. Because it doesn’t make much sense in me beating up Usyk. I’d much prefer to beat up Joshua. It’s a bigger fight and people want to see it more.
“If Usyk does win then he will cost us a few quid, won’t he? Then again we have lost plenty of money in the past, so it doesn’t really matter. There’s plenty to go around.”
Joshua is taller, heavier and has a four-inch reach advantage on Usyk, but Fury has dismissed all the talk that he will be much too big for the unbeaten Ukrainian.
Usyk is 6ft 3ins and Fury says he is bigger than greats such as Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield.
The challenger, a 2012 Olympic gold medallist like Joshua, is unbeaten in his 18 pro fights, having won the undisputed world cruiserweight title in his 15th paid outing, and Fury believes he will cause Joshua problems.
“Joshua’s got a tough fight you know,” he said. “Usyk is no mug. People say to me, ‘He’s too small’ and this and that. But the guy is bigger than Muhammad Ali, he’s bigger than Mike Tyson and he’s bigger than Evander Holyfield.
“All those guys were big but he is bigger and he is heavier. He’s definitely a good fighter.”