OLEKSANDR USYK has warned Team Fury that no amount of fight week antics will “destabilize” his bid to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
Monday’s first fight week event was marred by violence when John Fury, Tyson’s father, headbutted smaller Usyk teammate Stanislav Stepchuk while both fighters were conducting a series of interviews at the Hilton hotel in downtown Riyadh.
Fury Senior, who was cut and bleeding from the head, apologized for the altercation, while Stepchuk escaped virtually unscathed.
Usyk later sat down at a media roundtable with the British press and smiled when the incident was brought up. As he spoke, his team stood nearby and he gestured at them as he assessed what had happened in the lobby.
“We are professional athletes, not street fighters and this is a great event for our citizens, the UK and Ukraine,” Usyk said.
“My team is very good at wanting to fight, not boxing, street fighting, shooting, knives or wrestling. But I said, “hey, hey, guys, come back.” We had to do the right thing.”
“This situation doesn’t matter to me, it’s just more motivation for my team. If they want to destabilize my team, it’s not possible. Because I don’t just have professional coaches and trainers, I also have professional soldiers.”
About Stepchuk, who became an unexpected hero of the history of the time, Usyk added: “My friend didn’t bleed because he’s a powerful guy.
“He’s a guy from the street. You saw the video, he was like Pitbull, the moron! I’ve said enough!’ and they said OK. He’s just my friend, the secret are the soldiers in my team.
“Of course it’s disappointing that it happened at such an event because it’s about discipline. I’m not disappointed with my team, they’re disappointed because I distracted them and stopped them from fighting.
“They wanted to go, they were looking at me, waiting for the signal to start. They were waiting for a thumbs up, but I gave them a thumbs down. “Come back, come back, please,” I said. And they weren’t elated.”
Usyk, who will face Fury in his first undisputed heavyweight fight since 1999 and the first ever with four major belts on the line, also declared that a victory at the Kingdom Arena would still not be enough to top his greatest boxing triumph.
“My gold medal will always be better than an undisputed one,” says Usyk, who became champion of the 91 kg category in London in 2012.
“Everyone who practices sports – any sport, boxing, judo karate – everyone dreams of the Olympic Games. “I know men who have won three world championship medals, but they don’t have Olympic gold – only bronze. I competed in two Olympics and only won one medal. “It takes four years, my last opponent Clemente Russo has competed in four Olympics in 16 years and still hasn’t won a gold medal.
“The Olympic Games last four years, but winning the world championship belt is basic, you can get it in six months or a year. But for some people, professional boxing is a business.
“For me it’s a sport, but for many people it’s a business, it’s money, belts, fame.
For me it’s primarily sport.”
Still, Usyk already has a plan for four lanes if he leaves Saudi Arabia with them in the hold.
“I’ll take them home,” he adds. “I have four belts for four children, two for my sons and two for my daughters, one for each.”
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