Oleksandr Usyk has mocked "belly" Tyson Fury as the pair edge closer to a battle for the undisputed heavyweight crown.
Usyk defeated British star Anthony Joshua in August last year to retain the unified world titles he snatched from him a year earlier. The Ukrainian star immediately proceeded to call out Fury, and the pair's teams have since held extensive talks to organise the clash which is expected to land in either March or April.
The Ukrainian took a break following his success over Joshua before pursuing all the marbles this year, but travelled to the UK in December to watch Fury comfortably defeat Derek Chisora. The pair came face-to-face at ringside and began exchanging verbal barbs as the rivalry between the pair heated up.
And in a fresh mocking message on social media, Usyk appears to have reignited his war of words with Fury, tweeting: The middleweight is here! Where are you belly? @Tyson Fury." Talks are currently well advanced for a clash to take place with just the final date and venue to be set for the showdown.
It is expected the fight will land in the Middle East with the huge site fee and payday for both fighters far in excess of any offers in the UK. And despite Usyk's rise to unified champion, Fury has confidently predicted he will win any clash between the pair due to their size difference.
Fury has frequently labelled his potential upcoming opponent a "middleweight" given his rise from cruiserweight to the blue-riband division, where he has already reigned as undisputed king. Usyk appears to have mocked Fury's weight, following in the footsteps of recent rival Joshua who has also adopted the same approach against the 'Gypsy King'.
Who do you think will win and become undisputed champion - Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk? Let us know in the comments section below
Despite previously being critical of Usyk, Fury has recently decided to backtrack on his criticism and even compared the slick Ukrainian to heavyweight legend Muhammad Ali. “Listen it is boxing and styles do make fights," he said during an appearance on talkSPORT.
"He’s beat a big guy before, AJ – 6ft 6ins – I’m not that much taller than him. I’ve been searching the world, I’ve travelled all over, to find a challenger who can beat me, and I can’t find one. 14 years. Usyk’s about 6ft 3ins and just under 16 stone. He’s a pretty big boy, he’s a lot bigger than Muhammad Ali was back in the day.
"He’s bigger than Evander Holyfield, he’s bigger than Mike Tyson, he’s bigger than Joe Frazier, he’s bigger than Ken Norton. He’s probably the same size as ‘big’ George Foreman. Everybody used to say ‘big’ George Foreman, now they’re saying ‘little tiny’ Usyk at the same weight and size.”
