Oleksandr Usyk Appears to Mock Tyson Fury’s Paris Fury Decision After Rematch

The approaches that Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk took to prepare for their rematch could not have been more different. And the Ukrainian couldn’t resist a cheeky dig at his rival after all was said and done in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last night.

While Fury was holed up in a three-month training camp in Malta, Usyk used his family to keep him motivated. The Gypsy King tried a no-contact approach with his family in an attempt to reduce distractions, defending his decision by saying: “It’s been a long camp. I have been away from my wife and kids for three months. I’ve not spoken to Paris at all for three months, not one word. Yeah, I’ve sacrificed a lot.”

Paris Fury was indeed in Riyadh to cheer her husband on this time around, having not been in attendance for their first fight back in May, having lost their baby in the build-up. She said on Instagram: “People don’t see the sacrifices made. I’ve let him solely concentrate on this fight. It seems like he’s been gone forever, especially with no contact. But if it’s what he needs…”

Oleksandr Usyk Used Family as Motivation

The Ukrainian went down a different route to his opponent

Usyk, while also away from his family for five months to get ready physically and mentally, insisted that he spoke to them every day.

“It’s helped me – because it’s my family,” Usyk said on Tuesday. “I speak to my wife every day. Every time. Every second. Every minute. My children too. My little daughter, Maria, started to walk, say ‘mama’, ‘baba’ [grandmother]. This is real motivation for me. For me, it doesn’t matter what Tyson Fury does. It matters what I do.”

Oleksandr Usyk & Tyson Fury’s pro boxing records (as of 22/12/24)
	Oleksandr Usyk	Tyson Fury
Fights	23	37
Wins	23	34
Losses	0	2
Draws	0	1

After beating Fury for the second time, Usyk said: “My wife, she help me train! I win. I win, thank you God. I had good preparation, my wife helped me. For me this is a very happy day. My son won his judo belt and said to me, ‘Papa, you are next’.”

Paris Fury on Tyson Fury’s Decision

She understood the reasoning behind her husband isolating himself

While Paris Fury understood that her husband needed to be solely focused on the fight against such a dangerous opponent, she has admitted that she found it hard being away from him for so long: “It is true. After the last fight, everything that went on personally in our lives and Tyson had the outcome of last time, he decided this on his own and I had to support him. He didn’t want to be involved in family life, he has cut himself off for the last few months, put himself in a serious condition and he looks very determined. If it is what needed to be, then God willing, Saturday night it will all come out and all be good and be worthwhile.”

Tyson and Paris Fury will, however, be spending Christmas together, as Tyson explained: “I’ll be flying home for Christmas. Plenty of eggnog and mince pies, turkey, and all that. I can’t wait. I wish it was tonight, and I was going home in the morning.”