Manager of the unified heavyweight champion from Ukraine Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) Egis Klimas gave
interview for a news portal from the USA.
In a conversation, Klimas spoke about the plans and likely timing of Usyk’s return to the ring, spoke about the goals for the next fight, commented on Alexander’s possible fight against former US champion Deontay Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs), negotiations with the WBC title holder team from Britain Tyson Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs), and also spoke about whether Usyk could beat Fury.
– Egis, tell us, when can we expect Usyk to return to the ring and defend Usyk’s titles?
— Soon. Probably in February. Definitely not this year. And the second is when Tyson is ready. Because Usyk is now waiting only for unification. Let’s hope Tyson comes to his senses, and if there are no problems, then we are in business in February.
– Why not hold an intermediate battle?
“We spent a long time preparing for the second fight with Joshua. It took us about 3.5-4 months. After the battle, Alexander returned to Ukraine. He recently returned from the front line. He went to support the soldiers. We know that his country is fighting a real war. This is not boxing. He has his own fund. He helps many people. He gives his debt to the country. That’s why he can’t prepare for battle. In a week or two he will leave Ukraine and come here to the USA. We have some plans here. We will go to the WBO Congress and after that he can start preparing. So all of this leads us to February.
Fury has a fight in December. As far as I understand, there is not enough time to fight Alexander. Wilder said that if he wins, he would want to fight Usyk. Have you, as a team, thought about this fight?
“I won’t speak for Fury. I don’t think about his team. He has a team, advisers, managers – let them do their work with him. As for the fight with Wilder, it was discussed. If the fight with Fury never takes place, who would Alexander want to fight? He chose Wilder. I asked: “Why?” And he replied that he was a dangerous fighter and that he wanted to fight dangerous fighters. But now it is not in thoughts and not in conversations. Fury is in talks right now. If the fight with Fury is not real, we will have to decide what will happen next. Alexander holds three major titles, so there is a possibility that he will have to fight the mandatory challenger. But most of the decisions now should lean towards Fury.
- “Bitch Mustache don’t need that arrow.” Tyson Fury interview
– In general, were there any talks with Fury about the fight?
No, we didn’t talk to him directly. There are promoters who are interested in the fight and they are talking about this fight.
“I talked to Eddie Hearn and he said that this was Usyk’s last fight on DAZN, but he wants to continue the collaboration. What is your current status with DAZN?
I won’t tell you about the status of DAZN, ESPN, Sky Sports, HBO, Showtime, Fox. I will say that Usyk is free and not associated with TV networks, but he is not free in terms of management [улыбается].
— [смеётся]
– But first of all, we, as Usyk’s team, are completely free agents from promotion, broadcasters and television networks.
Fury said that if he fought Usyk, it would not be a fair fight. He posted videos where he said that he was too small, that he was not big enough. You know Usyk, you know how skillful he is, how do you think the fight between him and Fury will go? And what do you say to Fury that this will not be a competitive fight?
Fury is a big guy. I would say Usyk won’t beat him, but Usyk can beat Fury.
— What do you mean by that?
There is a big difference between beating and winning. Usyk defeated Bellew, Usyk defeated Joshua. He didn’t beat Joshua, he beat Joshua. Rewatch the second fight with Joshua and count how many knockout opportunities Usyk had. And then tell me if he beat Joshua or won. He beat Joshua every round but didn’t beat him. Joshua was tired but not beaten, he lost.
“You mean he took him with a points lead?”
– Of course. Of course. This fight (Usyk – Fury) will be like a cat and a mouse.
- “Narik, alcoholic, suicidal man returned from retirement!” Fury on Usyk, Wilder and Joshua