Tyson Fury ‘has never fancied fighting Oleksandr Usyk’ and there’s still ‘a chance’ the Gypsy King will withdraw from the boxing bout, according to George Groves.
Fury and Usyk are due to meet on May 18, with millions set to tune in to watch the action unfold in Saudi Arabia.
Their showdown has already been delayed twice, having previously been due to take place in December before their February date was pushed back to May.
Fury recently held a press conference in Morecambe and insisted he was ready for the heavyweight clash.
Boxing news: Tyson Fury is currently preparing for Oleksandr Usyk fight
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Yet Groves, speaking to Betway, thinks there’s still ‘a chance’ the Gypsy King will pull out – insisting Fury has ‘never fancied’ a battle with Usyk.
“I’ve said since the start – I’ll believe it when I see it,” he said.
“I don’t think Fury has ever fancied the Usyk fight.
“He’s talking about having 10 more fights, but if he loses to Usyk how does that work?
“It’s a massive risk for him to fight Usyk. He’s probably really hoping that Usyk can’t take a body shot.
“When the fight got postponed after the cut, I wasn’t surprised.
“It gave me the feeling that this fight will never happen.
“I’d be interested to know what media have paid upfront for their flights, or whether they’re holding off.
“We saw Eddie Hearn almost say that Joshua-Fury trumps Fury-Usyk after AJ beat Ngannou. I thought to myself, I bet Fury would rather have a bit of Joshua than Usyk because he’ll see that as an easier fight.
“People are starting to consider that AJ beats Fury after both of their performances against Ngannou, so it would not be a surprise if Fury wants to set the record straight and fight Joshua next and leave Usyk out.
“The Saudis or the WBC aren’t going to pressure Fury to fight Usyk, so maybe he’s thinking he will go down the Ngannou route again, or fight Joshua.
“That’s the fight everyone really wants to see. I don’t believe if he pulls out he’s going to have to pay a $10million fine.
“Usyk is probably thinking ‘I don’t know if this guy is going to show up’ because there’s still a chance Fury pulls out.”
Fury has slimmed down and looks drastically different than he did when he fought Francis Ngannou back in October.
The Briton struggled that night and only won via split decision.
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Boxing news: George Groves thinks there’s still ‘a chance’ Tyson Fury will withdraw from Oleksandr Usyk fight
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But Fury insists he’s taking Usyk ‘seriously’ and believes he’s got what it takes to reign supreme.
Meanwhile, the Gypsy King has brought his father, John Fury, into his camp – dubbing the 59-year-old his ‘secret weapon’.
“Yeah, I’m training hard obviously,” he said.
“I’m in fantastic shape, obviously. And I’ve got a massive fight coming up, obviously.
“There’s no room for error, no room for any problems.
Boxing news: Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are due to face off on May 18
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“40 days out, feeling fantastic and I know all boxers say the same like ‘oh s**t I’m having a fantastic training camp yada yada yada.’
“But I actually am having a fantastic training camp. I’ve got a good team around me, no complaints.
“I’m working very hard, got my dad in camp this time, got my secret weapon with me this time as well.
“I’ve got Ty Mitchell in, I’ve got all the boys, all the girls are in camp.
“We’ve got a full circus camp. Can’t do anything more really.”
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