Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk final press conference quotes
The undisputed heavyweight championship of the world collision between WBC and lineal champion Tyson Fury and unified champion Oleksandr Usyk will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Saturday night.
It will be a first undisputed battle at the weight this century and anticipation is growing rapidly in Riyadh and around the World, with the final press conference going ahead at Boulevard City this evening.
Below is a selection of key quotes from the event:
Tyson Fury: “I am going to make this short and simple. I want to thank God for the victory that I have received already and I want to thank everybody involved for putting this massive event on. I want to thank Usyk for turning up and challenging me and that is about it.
“Thank you to all the fans who have travelled over to support me. I know it is tough at the moment and money is hard, so I aim to put on a show. I’m ready, I’ve got nothing to say apart from I am ready for a good fight. Tough or easy, either way I will be ready.”
Oleksandr Usyk: “I am happy to be here, I am excited and I am grateful to His Excellency for making this fight happen. Let’s make history. Enough, thank you so much.”
Frank Warren: “This is the biggest fight of the 21st century and I would like to thank the people who have made it happen and for all they have done to make this happen in Riyadh.
“This is a great fight, we all know that, the fight we have all been waiting for. The two best heavyweights in the world, both undefeated. This is something extra special and fights like this come around once in a generation.
“We have the last two who fought for three belts in 1999 – Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis. So now who is going to be the greatest heavyweight of this generation? We will find out on Saturday when this fantastic fight happens.
“It has everything required not just to be a great boxing moment, but a great moment in sporting history. I am backing my man [Tyson Fury] because he is the greatest heavyweight in the world and he has proved it time and time again.”
Bob Arum: “In boxing there is a saying that the most important division is the heavyweight division. When we have the opportunity to have an undisputed heavyweight champion crowned, as we will on Saturday night, it is something very, very significant.
“The last fighter to be crowned undisputed is sitting out in the audience and it happened 25 years ago for Lennox Lewis. Saturday night will be a very important night for boxing because, not only will we be crowning the undisputed heavyweight champion, but the two participants have never ever lost a fight. Now, how rare is that?
“How great is it that this fight on Saturday that will be held here in the Kingdom with the eyes of the world, not just boxing fans, will be focusing on the arena, on this fight. Believe me, it will be a great one.”
Alex Krassyuk: “All has been done, all has been accomplished, all has been spoken. There is only one assignment left, to pick up this green belt and take it back home to Ukraine, the country it belongs to. Full stop. If you will allow me, I’ve got one short message for Tyson Fury and his team, not to take it too close to the heart on Saturday night and Sunday morning.”
Spencer Brown: “We’ve got a lot of admiration for them but, come Saturday, it all goes out of the window. We have already butted heads with his team and it looks like they will but heads on Saturday night. Let me tell you, they have got a mountain to climb. The Fury army is here and you will see us take the belts on Saturday night.”