CHRISTMAS CRACKER
Fury reveals fight with Usyk is set for December 23 date
TYSON FURY has declared his undisputed heavyweight showdown with Oleksandr Usyk is set to take place just two days before Christmas.
Fury and Usyk signed contracts last month for the eagerly anticipated clash, which will take place in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh.
It will be the first undisputed contest in the blue riband division since Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield at Madison Square Garden in 1999 when all the belts were on the line.
Fury is in Riyadh preparing to face UFC fighter Francis Ngannou on Saturday, although he insists he has no concerns over the eightweek gap between this weekend’s tune-up bout and the proposed date to take on Usyk.
He said: “We’ve signed the contracts. December 23, that’s out there, isn’t it? It’s only eight weeks away from Saturday. Why not?
“I’ve not had a fight this year, so to get two in before the end of the year would be fantastic – double payday. There will be a big turkey in the Fury household at Christmas.”
Fury will contest the 35th bout of his career this weekend but his WBC title will not be on the line for the 10-round fight.
Carl Frampton suspects the Gypsy King could be unnerved by Ngannou having Mike Tyson in his corner.
Born in August 1988, less than two months after Iron Mike cemented his status as the undisputed world heavyweight champion by knocking out Michael Spinks, Fury was given his forename in honour of the American great.
Frampton – a former two-weight world champ – feels Ngannou might have a slight mental edge after employing Tyson as his trainer for his professional debut.
The Northern Irishman said: “It might not be a massive issue for Fury but it’s definitely something he will feel a bit uncomfortable with, that the guy who he’s named after and a hero to him is going to be in the opponent’s corner.
“Mike Tyson was a small heavyweight, he knew how to fight on the inside and Ngannou is smaller than Tyson Fury.
“The way Francis wins the fight is to get close and land shots from close distance.
“And there’s no better man alive to teach you that than Iron Mike Tyson.
“I’m not as sure Ngannou has zero chance of winning. He has a chance but it’s very small.”