There has been no love lost between the camps of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in the build-up to their clash on May 18 and now Usyk’s promoter has responded to ‘crybaby’ comments made by Frank Warren, who has also been defending his man against Barry McGuigan.
There has been tension between the two teams ever since the fight was first signed, but that was particularly ramped up when Fury sustained a cut late in training.
An elbow from Croatian sparring partner Agron Smakici left him needing several stitches just a week before the first fight date in February was due to come around.
A new date was hastily organised but that didn’t stop plenty of back and forth and wild accusations that Fury did it on purpose, was delaying in order to have more time to train, and ultimately not end up taking the fight at all as he has done previously when he was due to rematch Wladimir Klitschko after his historic first world title win back in 2015.
Right now the fight is just weeks away and Warren has stirred things up by calling Usyk a ‘crybaby’ while many others are making their predicitons.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Usyk’s manager Alex Krassyuk has come to the defence of his man and reminded people he is a road warrior.
“How can you call Usyk a crybaby. The man who won his title in Poland, and never defended or had a fight in his homeland. He always went to the backyard of his opponents, and he destroyed his opponents.
“He completed the undisputed cruiserweight championship, and now he is the unified heavyweight champion, and now he has been chasing Fury for several years already and Fury has run four times in a row. I can remind you of at least two dates we have within the last six months.”
He then teased Fury about the injury he sustained to postpone the fight in February.
“I do hope that Fury will wear his helmet, and his protection gear this time and will not injure his eyebrows, or whatever he can injure, and the fight on May 18 will go the way it should have gone in December then February.
“It’s the fight of a lifetime, the whole world is waiting for it, we cannot help making it. Let’s try to hope, let’s pray for Tyson, and let’s expect the guy enters the ring on May 18.”
Whoever comes out on to in this mouth-watering battle for the ages will hold all four major heavyweight belts for the first time since 1999. A rematch is said to be contracted but depending on how the fight is won, many expect that Anthony Joshua might well get a shot at the winner.
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