John Fury has warned Tyson Fury’s team ‘they need to impress the hell out of me’ to be ready for Oleksandr Usyk next month after spotting major problems in his son’s fight camp last year.
WBC champion Fury will take on IBF, WBO and WBA heavyweight king Usyk in Saudi Arabia on 17 February in a bout to crown the division’s first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis 25 years ago.
Both men stand undefeated after glittering careers at the top of the sport. Fury however was given a major scare last October when he took on Francis Ngannou.
The former UFC heavyweight champion, who was making his professional boxing debut that night, stunned the boxing world when he floored ‘The Gypsy King’ in the third round, eventually coming up short on the judges’ scorecards with Fury awarded a split decision victory.
Fury Snr was left shocked by his son’s preparation and performance levels that night, insisting there was a noticeable decline in ‘strength, power and physical condition’ in the 35-year-old.
Exactly one month away from that historic undisputed showdown against Usyk, Fury Snr hopes that night against Ngannou has served as a major wake-up call for Fury’s trainer Sugarhill Steward and the rest of Fury’s team.
‘I haven’t been out there [in Saudi Arabia] but all they need to do is impress the hell out of me this time because they sure as hell didn’t do it last time,’ John Fury told Metro.co.uk courtesy of Free Bets.
‘Things change, maybe the full team needed that kick up the backside, I hope they know where it went wrong and let’s see if they can put on a spectacular performance, because anything less than spectacular isn’t going to cut it.
‘But good luck to both boys. I just hope it is a great night. and I hope the fans get what they pay for.’
Fury Snr added: ‘Tyson is a veteran of the game, no one can teach him any new tricks. What he needed to do was work on that body strength really, and to box properly like he knows to.
‘Why change something that’s not broken? He does what he does. He knows what he has to do. He is not a fool. And I hope the team can all gel on the night.’
After providing Fury with one of the toughest examinations of his career, Ngannou will now take on Anthony Joshua on 8 March with the winner promised a world title shot later in the year.
Fury Snr believes Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn have ‘The Gypsy King’ to thank for opening that particular door.
‘If you look at boxing it will frustrate you,’ he said. ‘This is a slippery game. And everyone involved is slippery.
‘Everyone wrote Ngannou off. You cannot write off a man 19 stone of solid muscle. He was all set to pull it off against Tyson. Tyson was not there mentally, he was not there physically but Ngannou still showed a lot of quality.
‘It takes Tyson Fury to open doors. What I am seeing now, Tyson has opened the doors for people to walk through. He’s always done that.’
MORE : Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou face off with winner promised undisputed title fight against Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk
MORE : Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury, Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol and more: The fights we want to see in 2024… and one we can avoid
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Share your story or advertise with us: Whatsapp: +2347068606071 Email: info@newspotng.com
