Tyson Fury has insulted Oleksandr Usyk by claiming he could still beat him if he weighed 25 stone and drank 15 pints of Peroni beforehand.
The Gypsy King meets Usyk on May 18 in Riyadh as they bid to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion.
Despite the Ukrainian holding the WBA, WBO and IBF titles, Fury doesn’t rate him that highly and thinks he has lost his shine.
Fury gloated: ‘I think if I didn’t train at all for this camp, I just come in at 25 stone and sank maybe 15 pints of Peroni beforehand, then the next day, going there, what’s he gonna do? Do you even jab me around?
‘Take nothing away from him, but he couldn’t do anything with Derek Chisora.
Tyson Fury claimed he could still beat Oleksandr Usyk if he weighed 25 stone and drank 15 pints of Peroni
They will go head to head on May 18 in Riyadh after Fury’s eye injury delayed it from February
‘We all saw that fight and let’s not be deluded with it, it was a 50-50 fight, it could have gone either way!
‘So not unless he’s come on at 38, 39 years old in the last two years leaps and bounds. This guy’s gonna do me in a round? I don’t think so.
‘If I’m going in for a real ding-dong, I’ll need at least 15 pints of Peroni. At least!’
Fury has undergone a massive transformation as he trains for the titanic bout against Usyk, 37.
His strength and conditioning coach Kristian Blacklock said Fury was in the best shape of his life ahead of the Usyk fight – claiming he was ‘stronger and leaner’ than ever before.
Fury shared his body transformation online after the postponement was announced, posting a photo of himself standing in front of the mirror during his camp in Saudi Arabia.
The Gypsy King looked considerably leaner than when he fought against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in October 2023.
Fury – who told Mail Sport he would always be fat during an interview ahead of the Francis Ngannou fight last year – could be seen with abs as he tensed in the mirror selfie.
Fury shared his phenomenal body transformation on social media after his undisputed title clash with Oleksandr Usyk was postponed
Fury and his team took to social media after the postponement was announced to say they were devastated given the work they had put in behind the scenes
His clash with Usyk had been scheduled to take place in Riyadh on February 17 but was postponed after Fury sustained an injury during camp.
He suffered a severe cut above his right eye on Friday while sparring, which has been labelled by his promotion team as a ‘freak cut’.
Fury added: ‘It’s not personal. It’s strictly business for both fighters. There’s a lot of stuff on the line, but I don’t hate him. I respect him as a man, as a fighter.
‘Anyone would have to respect the man’s achievements. He’s unified heavyweight champion, undisputed cruiserweight champion.
‘I’m the best. I’m just defending my ‘best-ness’ against him.’
His transformation has shocked fans as Fury had stayed uncharacteristically quiet during camp, hiding his weight from his Ukrainian opponent.
Fury’s love handles have become a trademark in the boxing world, an emblem of his unique charisma. However, many criticised the Gypsy King for being out of shape for his fight with Ngannou.
Fury’s known for being elusive in the ring and his powerful punches deliver spectacular knockouts. But, he was unable to do so against the former UFC heavyweight champion.
Fury sustained a nasty laceration above his right eye which has postponed his next fight
Fury in an Instagram video said he was caught with an elbow that nearly cost him the ‘biggest fight of his career’
‘Although I don’t look a man who can do long distance or run for 20 miles, I am a man who can do that.
Speaking about his weight ahead of that bout, Fury told Mail Sport: ‘It’s good to have a good body. I would love to have a good body. But, I don’t have any hope of having a good body.
‘I have been training for well over 20 years and I still haven’t got a good body. I’ve been in a training camp, living like a monk, for the past 12 weeks and I still don’t have a good body.
‘I didn’t have a good body when I was in my teens, so never mind clocking onto 40 years old. But, the one thing I’ve learnt is this isn’t a bodybuilding contest.
‘I think of myself as an old fashioned kind of guy who can go in there and have a fight, it doesn’t really matter what I look like. It’s about getting the victory.
‘If I had a 10 pack and I looked like Adonis – completely unbelievable and I wasn’t winning, it’s pointless. So I don’t really care about being fat.
‘I actually embrace being fat because my love handles separate me from the rest of the world, ever in history. There’s never been anyone like me and there never will be.
‘That’s what makes me so tough and that’s what makes me, me. If you said to me, “Right Tyson, we will give you the opportunity to get rid of the fat on you and we will give you a full six pack,” I wouldn’t take it because that’s not me.
The ’50-50′ fight between Usyk and Chisora that Fury references took place back in 2020
‘I am fat now, I was fat as a baby and I will be fat on my death bed. We’re all fat. Hughie is fat, Shane’s fat, my dad’s fat and even my mum’s fat. I hope she’s not watching this. But, we’re a fat family.
‘He trains every day, my brother Hughie, like unbelievable. He’ll run, train, box. I am the same. Two-three times a day, in or out of camp but I’ve always been fat. Even when I got down to 17stone, like this, I still had love handles. It’s my trademark for sure.’
However, fans worried Fury would struggle against Usyk if he didn’t cut down in weight. The Ukrainian’s promoter Alex Krassyuk even said the Gypsy King’s weight would determine the quality of their fight.
It appears Fury took the comments on board, given he shed a significant amount of weight ahead the undisputed title fight, which was scheduled to take place on February 17.
Fury is adamant he will arrive at the new date, May 18, in the same shape.
