TYSON FURY was left baffled after Oleksandr Usyk sent him a 12-word message ahead of their fight.
The pair of heavyweight champions meet in the heavyweight division’s first four-belt unification bout on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
And Fury, 35, was shown a pre-recorded message from Usyk, 37, just a week out from the historic unification bout.
Usyk said down the camera: “Hey, my friend. Don’t be afraid, I will not leave you alone.”
Fury was shown the message by DAZN but he did not know quite what to think of it.
He said: “What does that even mean? Don’t be afraid I won’t leave you alone?”
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Fury has spent years going back and forth with his Ukrainian rival ahead of their super-fight.
The eccentric Gypsy King has blasted Usyk as a “midget”, “rabbit” and a “b***h* to name a few insults.
But Fury performed a respectful U-turn on his upcoming interview during a candid interview with Queensberry Promotions.
He said: “Oleksandr Usyk’s a real bad man and to underestimate Usyk you’d be a mug. So I’m training hard for him, I’m doing everything I can.
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“I respect Usyk as a man. I respect his career as well – Olympic champion, undisputed cruiserweight champion, unified heavyweight champion.
“You have to respect that, I’m not fighting some guy who’s had 14 and won 11. I’m fighting the real deal – as real deal as Holyfield.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge. He’s a southpaw, he’s got good footwork so they say, good boxing ability, technically sound.
“He’s proved he can mix it with the big heavyweights because he’s beat Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois. I’m messing with an elite fighter.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
