At the age of 20, Tyson Fury had already declared his intention to become world champion. Now, 16 years later, he has the opportunity to do something no heavyweight has done in a quarter century.
The WBC heavyweight titleholder will face unified WBA, WBO and IBF king Oleksandr Usyk live in Riyadh on Saturday May 18th Sky Sports box officeaiming to become the first undisputed champion in boxing’s blue ribbon division since Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999.
Watching a video of him talking about his ambitions at a time when he barely had a handful of pro fights under his belt, Fury is without a doubt what he would tell his younger self when he was about to To write boxing history.
“What would I say? I think I had it all figured out, didn’t I?” Fury said Sky Sports. “You will be world champion, yes.
“I can become world champion, number 1 in the world, be the best and prove it – as a little kid, a long time ago. I’m turning 36 this year, so it’s been 16 years.”
“I always believed that I would be a star and make millions of dollars fighting, even if others didn’t believe that.”
“I always believed that I would become heavyweight champion, I am the best fighter in the world. First you have to believe, then you have to achieve something.”
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A look back at the best of Tyson Fury’s memorable press conference ahead of his big undisputed heavyweight clash with Oleksandr Usyk on May 18, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Fury, whose professional record is 34-0-1 (24) and whose only blemish is a draw in the first part of his epic trilogy with Deontay Wilder, hasn’t had an easy path to the top.
Notable are his two and a half years out of the ring after defeating Wladimir Klitschko to become Unified Champion, where he was involved in a legal dispute with UKAD that was settled in December 2017, and battling his own personal demons.
However, he has been on the rise since his return to the ring in May 2018 and believes the good times and the bad have helped shape the fighter he is now.
“You live and learn from your experiences – nothing happens overnight,” Fury said. “Back then I wanted to fight [Wladimir] Klitschko and I were seven years old after that.
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Ahead of the highly anticipated heavyweight clash between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, take a look at how other undisputed fights of the 21st century have unfolded.
“Good things come to those who wait, nothing should be rushed and you should take your time because you only have one career and you are just a young lad.”
“Back then, when I was 20, I wanted everything yesterday.”
Like all the years before, Fury isn’t shy about announcing that he will be the one to be crowned undisputed heavyweight champion on May 18th.
“Even as a little boy I said that and achieved it, so I must be one of the few people who dreamed something as a child and achieved it as an adult,” Fury said.
“It has been an incredible journey and now, 16 years later, we are on the verge of becoming undisputed world champions.”
“The biggest fight in the last 25 years, that’s an incredible achievement.”
How to book Fury vs Usyk at the Sky Sports box office
It is one of the biggest sporting events in a generation. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk collide for the undisputed world heavyweight championship on Saturday May 18th, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book the fight now.