Tyson Fury’s dad John has said that the heavyweight won’t fight Oleksandr Usyk until he “apologises for trying to bamboozle the public” and, as the Fury camp sees it, derailing the highly-anticipated fight.
Speaking to Seconds Out earlier this week, the boxing family patriarch admitted that the chances of the fight between Fury and Usyk are looking more doubtful by the day, with negotiations souring earlier this year following a debate over the purse.
However, in the middle of discussions, it looks as though things got a lot more personal and both camps have exchanged choice words since, with the Ukrainian calling Fury “greedy belly” for supposedly demanding a 70/30 split and John Fury labelling his son’s would-be opponent a “poison rabbit“.
Admittedly, boxing trash talk is always a world we’ll struggle to take fully seriously, but Fury senior still made it clear that the situation is no joke on their end, insisting that the WBC champion requires an apology before talk of a potential fight stand any chance of resuming.
John Fury has said Tyson Fury won't fight Oleksandr Usyk until he makes a public apology: “Unless he gets on video and tells the truth of what he did, there'll never be a fight for Usyk, never… It'll be when he apologises for trying to put the blame on Tyson.” [@SecondsOutLive]
“I’ll tell you what’s gonna happen here”, says Fury, “until he gets on and makes a proper video explaining what he did, tell the truth, he may never get the fight with Tyson. It’s gone past money now with Tyson. It’s gone past everything with us. They are taking the p***.
He’s a nobody, Usyk. Yes he’s won a few belts off [Anthony Joshua]. You’ve seen how AJ’s been performing — he’s not performed for a while now… Tyson will iron him right out, and anybody in the game knows it.”
“They’re not good businessmen. What they’re doing now proves they’re all cowardly liars… There’s been no concrete offer anywhere, there’s been no money put forward, no deposits, nothing… he’s trying to turn the public against Tyson, which they’ve done a good job of because the public’s daft anyway”.
Fury went on to assure that “unless he gets on the video and tells the truth of what he did, there will never be a fight for Usyk … If it ever does come off, [it will be] when he apologises for trying to bamboozle the public.” That being said, Tyson still seems to be hinting that something might happen:
Tyson Fury teasing a "big announcement coming" on Instagram this morning: "It's here, it's landed."
This, of course, doesn’t necessarily mean that he and the unified IBF, WBO and IBO title-holder have come to an agreement behind the scenes but it feels like the only concrete outcome fight fans would be interested in hearing about, that is, if the appeal is still even there.
Earlier this week, former boxer and four-time world champions Carl Froch told talkSPORT, “It’s getting frustrating now, it’s getting annoying listening to him because we all just wanna see Tyson Fury fight” — a sentiment that most would probably echo.
Froch even went on to wonder “how serious he is now about fighting”, warning that “if he gets too out of shape and he’s out of the ring for too long, it gets past the point of no return and all of a sudden he’s gonna find himself in a hard fight against somebody who’s bang average”, let alone Usyk,
You can watch John Fury’s full interview on Second Out Live down below:
Whether or not Usyk feels like he owes the Furys an apology is another question entirely.
Featured Image — Tyson Fury/John Fury/Oleksandr Usyk (via Instagram)
Sport
Manchester United announce another big signing with Benjamin Šeško swoop
Danny Jones
Manchester United have confirmed a third big signing of the summer transfer window after seemingly swooping in to hijack a deal for Benjamin Šeško from a fellow Premier League team.
While perhaps not direct rivals, Man United look to have virtually snapped up highly sought-after Slovenian striker, Šeško, from the jaws of Newcastle, who appeared to be getting closer to sealing a deal following a second bid.
Roughly a week later, Ruben Amorim now has another attacking option to choose from, with Šeško arriving at Old Trafford on a deal worth reportedly upwards of £73.3 million.
Signing a five-year deal with the club, Šeško will earn around £160,000 a week when it comes to wages, with his contract also including potential add-ons, according to Sportklub writer Rok Viškovič.
United are said to be paying an initial fee of £66.3m, with the super-fast forward supposedly having made it clear that he preferred a move to United once he was made aware of their interest.
After the news broke of an agreement being reached, it didn’t take long for people to start tracking his equally quick turnaround flight, with the towering Bundesliga prospect – who clocks in at the same height as soon-to-be Man City rival, Erling Haaland – travelling to Manchester Airport on Thursday evening.
In fact, speaking of Haaland, a recently resurfaced quote should give fans plenty of food for thought ahead of his debut in red.
As the player with the most goals scored – 39, to be specific – of any player under 23 since he arrived in Germany in the middle of the 22/23 season, it’s no surprise that United moved quickly on the deal to bring Šeško to the English top flight.
With his medical believed to have been conducted that same night, his official unveiling as an MUFC player on Friday, 8 August, sees INEOS’ spending so far this season tip over the £200m mark, even despite having recorded their worst domestic finish in the modern era in the previous campaign.
Should the add-ons in the roughly £71m deal for Bryan Mbuemo, not to mention the approximately £62.5m and nearly £7m outlay (all possible bonuses considered) for young defender Diego Leon, materialise over the course of the next year or so, that figure is more like £215m.
They’re not messing around.
Manchester United's new front three in all competitions last season:
Benjamin Sesko: 🏟 45 games ⚽️ 21 goals 🅰️ 6 assists
Šeško will be presented in front of the Old Trafford faithful before their final 25/26 pre-season game against Fiorentina, where a special presentation will also be held in honour of former goalkeeper, David de Gea.
What do you make of Amorim‘s latest signings, and how well do you think Šeško is going to take to life in the most competitive league in the world?
Perhaps more importantly, what might it mean for some existing players?
Featured Images — Manchester United/Wikimedia Commons
Sport
Alejandro Garnacho set for Premier League switch as Manchester United shuffle attacking lineup
Danny Jones
Young Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho looks set to make a switch to another Premier League team as he has reportedly already reached an agreement regarding personal terms with his next club: Chelsea.
The promising winger, who graduated from Man United’s academy setup and has quickly made an impact even in just a short time in the first team, is now believed to be London-bound very soon, with Chelsea now “close” to completing a deal for the 21-year-old.
While there are no doubts surrounding his talent and potential, it is said the rift between him and the United head coach comes down to personality, character and conduct, with the latter not shying away from sharing grievances publicly.
🚨 Chelsea have stepped up talks with Manchester United over deal to sign Alejandro Garnacho. Clubs in touch on topic for some time & now advancing amid Benjamin Sesko joining #MUFC. 21yo winger wants #CFC or nothing + expects move to happen @TheAthleticFChttps://t.co/vdc1dtnA0p
According to The Athletic, it now looks as though after having agitated for a move, Garnacho has got his wish and is set for the capital, in a move which could see him become the 51st senior player to sign for the Blues under Todd Boehly’s ownership.
It is, quite frankly, a staggering number – especially given the fact that he only purchased the club back in May of 2022.
Most notably in Garnacho‘s case, too, it also raises questions around where in the Chelsea squad he will fit and how much regular first-team football (a guaranteed starting spot rumoured to be a flashpoint with Amorim) he will be able to enjoy should the deal go ahead.
For instance, besides the plethora of other attacking players at Enzo Maresca’s disposal, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano says that the west Londoners are also pursuing PSG’s Xavi Simons.
Nevertheless, the Italian journalist claims that “every detail of personal terms with Chelsea” has now been agreed, with the Argentine prospect now fully set on a move to Stamford Bridge.
You can see what other Manchester United transfer updates he gave in his latest video.
Romano goes on to state that the deal is effectively done as far as the player side of things is concerned, adding that Garnacho is now only interested in Chelsea since and has been since July.
Although negotiations are yet to begin with Man United, it looks likely that they will push to get a transfer approved quickly as they look to cover the costs of the other business, having already brought in a number of players.