Tyson Fury declared himself ready to face Oleksandr Usyk and said he would pray for his Ukrainian rival ahead of their undisputed heavyweight clash on Saturday.
The sometimes silly man from Manchester, England, kept his comments short and subdued at a news conference Thursday, two days before what is being billed as the biggest fight of this century.
Lennox Lewis, who became the last undisputed heavyweight champion in 1999, sat next to Evander Holyfield, the man he defeated to unify the belts, in the front row as Fury spoke.
“I’m ready,” said Fury, who strolled to the podium with his WBC belt. “I have nothing to say except that I am ready for a good fight.
“Whether it’s hard or easy, either way, I’ll be ready.”
Despite fireworks during the build-up, when Fury’s father headbutted a member of Usyk’s entourage, both fighters have refrained from the traditional trash talk.
“I’ll pray for him before we walk out, that we both get back to our families in one piece, because that’s what it’s all about,” Fury said of Usyk.
The Ukrainian, who came out in a white suit with a sash, wrote a poem and put it in his pocket as he waited to speak.
“I’m happy to be here, I’m excited,” said Usyk, who declined to read the poem.
Britain’s Lewis unified the WBC, WBA and IBF titles with his victory over Holyfield, who had been the undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight.
Fury and Usyk – another converted cruiserweight, who defeated Anthony Joshua to win the IBF, WBA and WBO titles – are both undefeated heading into Saturday’s fight, the first undisputed heavyweight bout in the four-belt era.
