AFTER a long time out of the ring, Tyson Fury has a fight. It won’t be Anthony Joshua. He will go into a third fight with Deontay Wilder on July 24 at the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Fury won’t dwell on the collapse of negotiations with Joshua’s team. “Useless dosser. It was only too good for him that the fight never happened,” the WBC heavyweight titlist declared. “I’ve got to deal with the most dangerous, concussive puncher in the history of the sport.
“I’m focusing on Deontay Widler, that’s the man in hand, that’s who I’m going to fight. That’s where my focus for attention is going to be. Nobody else. I don’t leave any stones unturned.”
“To overlook Deontay Wilder would be a stupid move. Deontay Wilder don’t need to do anything apart from land one punch in 36 minutes then it’s over, curtains,” he added. “Deontay Wilder’s the most dangerous heavyweight out there for anybody. Anybody. Even myself. Even though I’ve beaten him twice [Fury was held to a controversial draw in their first fight]. The man deserves the utmost respect. The biggest puncher in the history of the game. One punch curtains, it’s all over, you’re out like a light switch.
“I respect him as the biggest puncher in the history of the game. I’ve been in there. Don’t forget he put me down twice in the first fight. So I’ve tasted his power.”
But there is no sign of any trepidation in Fury and, even after the dominant stoppage victory he secured over Wilder last year, he sounds highly motivated. “I don’t care about history. I don’t care about being remembered. I don’t care about the belts. I care about f**k all, apart from doing my job and getting in and out of the ring in one piece. Don’t care about going down as a legend, not interested. I live for today. I’m sick to death of telling you all. I don’t care about pound-for-pound ratings, I don’t care about being remembered. I don’t care about undisputed, I don’t care about winning belts. I don’t care about any of that. I don’t care about earning money. All I care about is fighting and that’s difference between me and them. I love to fight, they love the business. They love the money. They love the fame that comes with boxing. I love to f***ing fight, nothing else. That’s it. Strip it all away, it’s all a load of s**t anyway. The only thing I do care about is fighting. That’s why I continue to fight. I made $70million last year and I would have made a lot more if I’d had more fights. But has it changed me? Has it made any difference? Has it f**k. I don’t care about the money. There was talk of me getting $75-100 million for the Joshua fight. What’s it going to do for my life? Nothing. I don’t care about any of that. I only care about fighting because that’s what I was born and bred to do. Nothing else and nothing more. I wasn’t made to be a rock star. I wasn’t made to be a movie star. I wasn’t made to be a billionaire. I was made to be a fighting man,” he said. “That’s all we live to do is fight. Without fighting we’re nothing. Without fighting I’m just another man with money. Plenty of them around. I’m in my element, I’m in the prime of my life at 32, the finest fighting man who’s ever lived, the Gypsy King.
“I never will be defeated, the greatest man that’s ever put on a pair of boxing gloves on, me the Gypsy King.
“Money doesn’t motivate the Gypsy King. Blood does. Smashing faces in does. Knocking people out. Putting it in in the gym. Running 10 miles. The feeling you get when you go 15 rounds with four different men. The feeling you get when you get smashed in the face hard and see all blue lightning, your legs stiffen a little bit and you think, ‘Yes, this is now, I’m alive.’ I’m an adrenalin junkie.”
More than a month out from the fight and Tyson Fury is ready for war.