Tyson Fury has responded to Oleksandr Usyk's "belly" call-out by continuing to label his rival as a "rabbit".
The 'Gypsy King' defeated Derek Chisora in December to set up a huge undisputed title clash with Ukrainian star Usyk, who holds the other three heavyweight belts. Usyk was present ringside at the event and the pair came face-to-face in a heated discussion to ramp up anticipation for the clash.
Negotiations for the mammoth encounter are understood to be ongoing, with a date and venue yet to be confirmed despite things moving in the right direction, according to both parties. Usyk last week reminded his rival of their potential showdown, producing a call-out video on social media.
He said: “The Middleweight is here! Where are you Belly? Tyson Fury.” The Briton has issued a response to the two separate videos, replying: “Tyson Fury here, WBC heavyweight number one. Usyk, calling out ‘The Gypsy King’ with your pathetic little call-outs, dosser.
“Rabbit, I’m coming for you, rabbit, you’re getting it, rabbit. And I’ll tell you what else, I’m gonna bust you up real bad, you little middleweight. I’m going to slap you into a big pile of tattoos, sucker. Come on!" It came with the caption: “This is the call out Oleksandr Usyk. Middleweight. I AM COMING FOR YOU. #RunRabbitRun. You know who I am. The Gypsy King. There’s only ever been one. Come get some!”
Usyk has made a remarkable switch up to heavyweight since reigning as undisputed champion in the division below, having beaten Anthony Joshua twice, including in their rematch last August. Despite his stellar record, Fury has been critical of Usyk, dismissing his challenge and branding the star a "middleweight" because of his size.
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Fury is back in training for the expected showdown, which will likely land in the Middle East providing a deal is reached with Fury's and Usyk's respective promoters. Despite having been sceptical about Usyk's size, the WBC champion decided to pay a rare compliment to his potential foe, comparing him to boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
"Listen, it is boxing and styles do make fights," Fury said during an appearance on talkSPORT. "He’s (Usyk'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.”
