FANS are demanding that Oleksandr Usyk should be “given the belts already” after spotting what he was carrying upon arrival for his date with destiny.
The planet is tuning in to watch Tyson Fury and the Ukrainian fight for the undisputed heavyweight crown in Saudi Arabia TONIGHT.
A host of stars will be ringside for the bout, with Cristiano Ronaldo seated alongside Anthony Joshua on the front row.
However, Usyk looked completely relaxed as he arrived at the arena in Riyadh carrying a CUDDLY TOY.
The unbeaten star revealed previously that the Disney donkey Eeyore is his secret weapon as he uses it for inspiration while carrying it with him for all his fights.
The star received it from his 12-year-old girl Yelizaveta to give her dad some protection – although he has admitted that Yelizaveta has renamed the Disney donkey Liolia.
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He said: “It’s my daughter’s. She gave it to me to be my talisman and said, ‘This needs to be right next to you.’ It is always close to me.”
It has proven to be a lucky omen for him so far after he was seen carrying it for his last Anthony Joshua fight.
And after seeing him with it in his arms again tonight as he rocked up for the rumble, viewers were delighted.
“Nothing like the love a father has for his daughter,” commented one.
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Another wrote: “Something very likeable about this fella.”
“Another reason Usyk should win tonight,” said a third while a fourth added: “What a guy. Just give him the belts already.”
The mind games started between the fighters when Fury REFUSED to even look at rival Usyk in the pre-fight press conference.
Usyk’s team continued the eventful build-up by filing a complaint that parts of the Riyadh ring canvas could be a trip hazard.
However, it was the WBC champion’s father John Fury who had stolen the headlines after he shockingly HEADBUTTED Stanislav Stepchuk – a member of the Usyk team – on Monday.
The 59-year-old John, who was left with a bloodied forehead.
He then threatened to headbutt Tony Bellew after he predicted a Usyk win.
That was before he launched a bitter attack on “traitor” British fans who believe that his undefeated 6ft 9in boy will be beaten this weekend.
Tonight’s fight will see one man crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world for the first time since Lennox Lewis held the mantle in 1999.
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Usyk holds the WBA, WBO and IBF belts, while Fury is the WBC and lineal heavyweight champion.
Both men also have unbeaten records – but someone’s ‘O’ has got to go tonight.
TYSON FURY VS OLEKSANDR USYK LIVE: ALL THE LATEST FROM HUGE UNDISPUTED WORLD TITLE FIGHT
Saudi Arabia is no place for Fury vs Usyk… the blockbuster undisputed fight will sound deserted
By Dave Kidd
IT is the single greatest individual sporting title on the planet — the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.
It is the crown worn by Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Rocky Marciano and Jack Dempsey.
And it is an honour which has not been bestowed for a quarter of a century.
Yet when Tyson Fury steps into the ring to face Oleksandr Usyk for the ultimate accolade in prize-fighting, he will do so in the dead of an Arabian night, in front of a largely disinterested crowd, one with little atmosphere or sense of occasion.
What ought to have been The Greatest Show on Earth will feel like a ding-dong held in a vortex.
The Saudification of elite sport is reaching crisis point — from the civil war in golf, to the march of football’s filthy-rich Saudi Pro League, to the awarding of the 2034 World Cup.
But this event, at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena, in the early hours of Sunday morning local time, is a true crown jewel, allowing the Sheikhs to bask in its reflected glory, to marvel at their own wealth and power.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr met Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami at the same venue earlier this year but that was an exhibition match, this is the real deal.
The tragedy for British boxing is that it currently holds the balance of power in the heavyweight division — thanks to Fury, Anthony Joshua and several other decent contenders.
To read more from Dave Kidd, click here.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
