Oleksandr Usyk warns Tyson Fury he won't get same treatment as Anthony Joshua
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Oleksandr Usyk has warned Tyson Fury that he won't get the same grace as Anthony Joshua as the Ukrainian vows to go for the knockout in their blockbuster clash on Saturday night. The undefeated pound-for-pound star, 22-0, handed the 'Gypsy King' the first loss of his professional boxing career in May via split decision after 12 hard-fought rounds to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999. However, the pair are set to run it back at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia four days before Christmas, with Fury hoping to atone for his loss in the very same arena earlier this year.
Usyk has shown the utmost respect for his opponents over the years despite holding 14 knockouts to his name, famously taking it somewhat easy on Anthony Joshua during the last round of their initial meeting in 2021. Comfortably ahead on the judges' scorecards, Usyk had AJ hurt as the bout drew to a close - but rather than going in for a finish, 'The Cat' kept his opponent at bay without inflicting much more damage on him.
Speaking about Usyk's decision not to finish the job during that bout, promoter Alex Krassyuk explained: "When he comes to the ring, it's Oleksandr's profession, so he has to fight, and he has to win – but he doesn't have to hate his opponent. He loves his opponent. He respects him.
"With a full heart of love, he hits him according to the rules, but he doesn't feel this anger. He doesn't feel like he's doing damage. His objective is to win, and the less damage he does to his opponent the better. This is his philosophy. That's why he did not knock out Anthony Joshua in the twelfth round.
