Tyson Fury‘s seemingly got a heart as big as his punch after making his foe Oleksandr Usyk a unique offer.
The Gypsy King, after duking it out with Usyk in Saudi Arabia for the undisputed heavyweight crown, suggested they swap boxing gloves for beach towels and go on a family holiday together. The epic clash saw both heavyweights enter the ring undefeated, but it was Usyk who snagged the title by split decision, becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champ since Lennox Lewis back in 1999.
Post-fight, Fury and Usyk were caught on camera having a chinwag in the ring. Among the words exchanged, Tyson’s offer to vacay with the Usyks came to light. Fury, with a brotherly grip on Usyk’s head, praised him: “Good work Oleksandr. You’re a strong man and a very good boxer. Very good, my brother. In Christ,” reports the Mirror.
READ MORE: Oleksandr Usyk rushed to Saudi Arabian hospital with ‘broken jaw’ after Tyson Fury win
READ MORE: Tyson Fury blames war in Ukraine for Oleksandr Usyk defeat in ‘classless’ speech
Usyk, 37, wasn’t shy about his long-haul prep for the fight, confessing: “Listen, I started preparing for you when you were boxing in 2008, European champion,” tipping his hat to Fury’s early days as EU Junior champ. Fury responded: “Thank you my brother, you’re a very good boxer. I love it, I love it, good moves.”
Usyk, before their convo got swamped by the crowd, added: “I’m very proud. We’re a friendly… family. My son said: ‘Hey, Tyson push you…'”. Then came the holiday invite from Fury: “I’d like to come to Ukraine with my family and have a holiday with your family and you can come to my house and have a holiday with me.”
Did you agree with the judges’ decision in awarding the victory to Usyk? Let us know in the comments section below.
(Image: PA)
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Usyk was all for it, replying: “No problem, my friend,” and then 35-year-old Fury chimed in: “My brother, we’ll have a beer after this. Alcohol-free!” Fury wasn’t quite as generous after the bout, when Usyk was hailed as the victor.
The Morecambe-based boxer blamed the war in Ukraine for his defeat – seemingly suggesting it had somehow influenced the judges at ringside. He was adamant he’d edged the fight and told reporters: “I believe I won that fight. I think he won a few of those rounds but I won the majority of them.
“His country is at war, so people are siding with the country at war. Make no mistake, I won that fight in my opinion.”
However, with a bit more grace he added: “I want to thank Oleksandr for the good fight. It was a close fight. I thought I’d done enough, but I’m not a judge. I can’t judge a fight while I’m boxing in it.”