By: Sean Crose
“By the way, I am very happy,” WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk told Volodymyr Kibelkov (as reported by Mirror). And what is Usyk particularly pleased about? The fight between him and Tyson Fury failed. Of course, this is sure to come as a surprise to many, as there seems to be a consensus that it was Fury who didn’t want the fight, not Usyk. Indeed, since negotiations between the Usyk and Fury sides fell through a few weeks ago, it is Fury who has received the most criticism. In fact, only those directly involved in the negotiations know the truth about whose responsibility.
“Although it may sound strange,” Usyk continued, “I’m glad this battle didn’t happen and I’m going home. You have to understand me, I’ve been training for three months straight.” If there’s one good reason a boxer doesn’t want to fight, it’s that of Usyk, whose home Ukraine has been divided by war since Russian forces invaded more than a year ago. “Then I can go home and spend time with my kids,” he says, “and I just enjoy myself.”
While he’s clearly furious with Fury and his camp, the multi-division undefeated now seems to feel like everything happens for a reason. “It should have happened,” Usyk said. “God told me this was supposed to happen. I saw that nothing was happening, he was trying to play with us, and I said to him: ‘That’s it, bye.’ He wanted to copy Muhammad Ali, but it was a bad copy.” While happy to have been able to return home, it’s clear Usyk still feels Fury isn’t taking the fight seriously.
Undoubtedly, fans were not pleased when the fight fell apart. After all, the match was set to take place this month. Furthermore, the winner will be declared the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, for the first time since Lennox Lewis’ reign many years ago. Of course, this does not mean that the two men will still not meet in the ring because of all the proverbial marbles. In essence, every warrior has ambition. The difference in skill sets makes the pair more attractive. The towering Fury turned into a boxer under the guidance of trainer Sugar Hill Stuart. Usyk, on the other hand, is a ring technician who proved in his win over Anthony Joshua that he is at home facing bigger opponents.
