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***.
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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”.
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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.
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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 legend Denis Law has died aged 84
Emily Sergeant
Manchester United legend Denis Law has sadly died aged 84, it has been announced.
The Aberdeen-born footballer was a prolific striker throughout his career, scoring 237 goals in 404 appearances for Manchester United – the club he signed for a then-British record transfer fee back 1962, before departing in 1973 – and also playing for Manchester City too for two separate spells during the 1960-61 and 1973-74 seasons.
Law was an integral part of United’s triumphant record-setting 1968 European Cup winning campaign, was the only Scottish player to have won the Ballon d’Or award, in 1964, and also the only man to have two statues dedicated to him at Old Trafford.
But, he previously announced in August 2021 that he had sadly been diagnosed with dementia.
The whole of Manchester, including everyone at City, is mourning with you. Rest in peace, Denis. Our thoughts are with Denis’ family and friends at this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/YuwjMXKgxn
A formal statement confirming Law’s passing by his family was announced by Manchester United this evening: “It is with a heavy heart that we tell you our father Denis Law has sadly passed away. He fought a tough battle but finally he is now at peace.
“We would like to thank everyone who contributed to his wellbeing and care, past and much more recently.
“The ultimate goal-scorer, his flair, spirit and love for the game made him the hero of a generation. Our deepest condolences go out to Denis’s family and many friends. His memory will live on forever more.”
Erling Haaland sets another Premier League record with new Manchester City contract
Danny Jones
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has signed a new long-term contract with the English champions and set another Premier League record in the process.
Haaland only joined City back in 2022 on a lucrative five-year deal and it took no time at all for him to hit the ground running and become a Golden Boot winner in his debut season and smash numerous records in the process, but the club are clearly looking to lock down the generational forward even further.
The prolific Scandinavian striker has already scored 111 goals in 125 games for the Blues, so it’s just common sense to tie him down for as long as they possibly can – and when we say long…
Putting pen to paper on a new nine-and-a-half-year deal revealed on Friday, 17 January, Haaland has now committed to his future at the Etihad until 2034, which is a record for the lengthiest contract in Premier League history.
Man City may have rounded up to 10 in their official announcement but either way, a seven-year extension on an existing contract which is unquestionably already one of if not the highest-paying in the division is quite the statement from both parties.
Haaland’s new terms see him surpass former City youth product Cole Palmer, whose switch to Chelsea on a nine-year deal was already groundbreaking for the league, having signed more than half a dozen players on contracts spanning seven years in 2023.
The big Norwegian number nine – who became a boyhood Blue during his dad’s playing days at the club – is set to earn a basic wage of approximately £500,000 a week, which is thought to make him the new highest earner after teammate Kevin De Bruyne (£400k).
This means that not only is the 24-year-old forward tacking on another seven years but also a further £125kpw reported figures are accurate.
City also shared multiple videos celebrating the news and the often humourous Haaland has certainly relished the pageantry of it all:
Reflecting on his new deal, Haaland said in an official statement: “I am really happy to have signed my new contract and to be able to look forward to spending even more time at this great Club.
“Manchester City is a special Club, full of fantastic people with amazing supporters and it’s the type of environment that helps bring the best out of everybody.
“I also want to thank Pep, his coaching staff, my teammates and everyone at the Club as they have all helped me so much in the past couple of years. They have made this such a special place to be and now I am City no matter what.
“I want to keep developing, keep working to get better and look to do my best to try and help us achieve more success going forward.”
Director of Football Txiki Begiristain, who is set to leave at the end of this season, added: “Everyone at the Club is absolutely delighted that Erling has signed his new contract. The fact he signed for so long demonstrates our commitment to him as a player and his love of this club.
“He has made an incredible impact already in his time here and his amazing numbers and records speak for themselves. But in addition to his outstanding natural talent and ability, Erling’s dedication, professionalism, humility and desire to keep getting better sum up what we all strive to achieve at Manchester City.
“He is one of the finest strikers in world football, but Erling is still very young and will only continue to improve working under Pep and his coaching team. If he works hard, which I know he will, he will create an incredible legacy at this football club.”
Danny Jones -
23rd June 2023 
