Tyson Fury has described Anthony Joshua as a “useless bum”, Dillian Whyte an “average heavyweight” and compared Oleksandr Usyk to a Polish cruiserweight.
The WBC champion was a guest on ESPN’s Max on Boxing hosted by American broadcaster Max Kellerman who asked Fury for an assessment of his three main heavyweight rivals.
First in the firing line was Joshua “I think he’s a useless old dosser,” said Fury. “He got gifted a gold medal in London. He robbed the Cuban [Erislandy Savón] blind in the first fight so he shouldn’t have even got a medal.
“He had to go over to America where the real fights are, and he got absolutely obliterated by a fat kid [Andy Ruiz Jr] on two weeks’ notice. So, do I think he’s a great fighter? Hell, no I don’t think he’s a great fighter.
“I think he’s a useless bum. Then he fought a boxer [Oleksandr Usyk] half his weight and a foot shorter than him and got outboxed. He never had the guts to go and take it to the man and try and win the fight. If you think going into a boxing fight for the world heavyweight title is not even trying
to win then yeah, I’d give him that title of being a great boxer but for me he’s a useless old bum and he won’t get past Oleksandr Usyk in his next fight. His career is over.”
While more complimentary about the Ukrainian, who holds the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles, Fury certainly doesn’t view him as a man universally recognised as one of the best fighters in the world.
“I think he’s a good boxer. He’s a very talented cruiserweight fighter but he’s no great shake. He’s very hittable. He’s small, he’s light, he’s not fast. He looks like Muhammad Ali compared to stiff arse [Joshua]. I think he’s something similar to Tomasz Adamek. He was a good fighter as well. He stepped up to heavyweight and fought a giant man in Vitali Klitschko and he got chinned. I think he’s on that level. Same size, same kind of speed.”
And then it came to Dillian Whyte who Fury will fight in a mandated defence of his world title. “I just think he’s an average fucking heavyweight,” he said. “Six [foot] three, 245lbs, slow feet, slow hands, average power. Talk about tailor-made for a gifted boxer like myself! I should chop him down like a big old tree, cut him down like cheese.”