Tyson Fury is happy to be called ‘belly’ by Oleksandr Usyk just as long as the fight gets made.
The current WBC champion is deep in negotiations with the Ukrainian, who holds the WBA, IBF, and WBO belts. Their fight would crown one champion in the heavyweight division and is regarded as one of, if not the, most important fight in boxing right now.
Despite an official announcement still nowhere to be seen, Usyk has been taunting Fury on social media, referencing his weight by coining the nickname ‘belly’.
In response, Fury referenced a classic Reebok advert to accept the term – a giant, standalone midriff chasing a man down ominously. He then told TalkSPORT the trash talk meant nothing at this stage.
“I’ve not said anything, I’m not even on social media. He keeps calling me ‘The Belly’ – I gotta say, belly’s gonna get you. Remember that advert? Belly’s gonna get you, belly’s gonna get you. I am the belly, and big bellies eat rabbits. And that’s what I’m going to do – eat the rabbit up.”
“But listen, let’s get the fight on first. It’s no good talking smack when the fight ain’t happening yet. When the fight gets done, and if we get a date and a venue … then we can see if the big belly is gonna beat the rabbit.”
Fans will largely feel the same as Fury. Whilst the back and forth is entertaining, there are too many failed negotiations in the sport for this fight be taken as done.
The latest news is positive, though, with the Middle East pulling out in front as a likely location. It’s believed that a date in April is being targeted, meaning official confirmation must come relatively quickly.