Oleksandr Usyk thinks he got the upper hand—psychologically speaking—during his last face-to-face encounter with boxing’s merry prankster Tyson Fury.
Usyk, the WBO, WBA, IBF, IBO heavyweight champion from Ukraine, is in talks to face Manchester’s Fury, the WBC titlist, this spring for the undisputed heavyweight championship, possibly in the Middle East.
The two have been gibing at each other on social media, but when they came face-to-face in December moments after Fury stopped Derek Chisora in London, their interaction was far more placid, at least from Usyk’s standpoint. While Fury hurled off one egregious insult after another, Usyk remained silent, staring wryly at this opponent.
Usyk, who is promoted by K2 Promotions, thinks he bested Fury in that instance. Fury is backed by Top Rank in the United States and Queensberry in the United Kingdom.
“I think I was able to get into his head a little bit,” Usyk told The Guardian’s Donald McRae. “I have been watching Tyson Fury get into the heads of his opponents for many years. And then I got into his head.”
The 36-year-old Usyk thinks Fury, 34, gets unsettled when opponents do not fall for his antics and that his public persona is simply manufactured for virality.
“When there are no cameras he is completely different,” Usyk said of Fury. “He plays the bad guy for the cameras. I think he likes movies about love and when he watches them he cries a little. And that’s not a bad thing. When I watch some sentimental movies, I can shed a tear too.”
Usyk is coming off a points win over Anthony Joshua in August, his second consecutive victory over the former champion from London. The southpaw ace has clamored for an undisputed showdown with Fury, hinting at times that he would retire after collecting the final heavyweight belt.