Tyson Fury believes his will to win will give him a crucial edge in his upcoming undisputed heavyweight fight with Oleksandr Usyk.
The mouth-watering showdown to crown the division's first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999 will take place on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
Fury, who is recovering from a cut that forced to postpone the battle for three months, was often dismissive of Usyk, previously labeling him as a bloated cruiserweight.
But with just a fortnight to go until their highly anticipated fight, Fury appears to have changed his tune and praised the Ukrainian's talent.
“Oleksandr Usyk is a very bad man and if you underestimate Usyk you would be a sledgehammer,” he said in an interview with Queensberry Promotions.
'I train hard for him, I do everything I can. I respect Usyk as a man. I also respect his career: Olympic champion, undisputed cruiserweight champion, unified heavyweight champion.
'You have to respect that, I'm fighting the real deal. I'm looking forward to the challenge. He's a southpaw, he's got good footwork, good boxing power, technically in order. He's proven he can go toe-to-toe with the big heavyweights because he's been beaten Anthony Joshua And Daniel Dubois.'
Usyk has won all five fights since moving to the heavyweight division in 2019 and has already achieved undisputed status once earlier in his career following his exploits in the cruiserweight division.
But Fury was keen to dismiss talk of style and skill when asked to make a prediction, insisting instead that it would be the fighters' mental toughness that would determine the winner.
'I'm dealing with an elite fighter who has more than just boxing. He is stubborn and wants to win just like me,” the Briton added.
“Aside from all the talent and attributes, it will come down to who needs it most that night.
'If he wants it more than he does, he will win and if I want it more than he does, then I will win. I just think my will and determination will be greater than his tonight.”
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