Oleksandr Usyk, the current WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight champion, revealed details of his psychological preparation for fights with Tyson Fury. The Ukrainian boxer took an unusual approach by studying the autobiographical books of his British opponent.
According to Usyk, the rivalry with Fury gave him special pleasure precisely because of the deep analysis of his opponent's personality. He carefully read two 'Gypsy King' books and focused on finding psychological vulnerabilities.
The key moment was a childhood memory of Fury described in one of the books: as a child, he was afraid to stay home alone. Usyk decided to use this information as a lever of pressure.
'Remember when I scared him for a year and a half: 'Don't be afraid, I won't leave you alone.' I read in the book that when he was little, he was afraid to stay home alone. And that's a signal from childhood, when he hears, 'Don't be afraid, I won't leave you...' He wrote that he was afraid to be alone. And I gave him that line: 'Don't be afraid, I won't leave you alone.' That moment worked,' Usyk said in an interview with Andrey Bednyakov.
The effect of the phrase manifested even in a tense situation. During one of the stare-downs at the table, a British journalist asked Fury if he understood the meaning of Usyk's words. Tyson's reaction revealed internal confusion.
'And even when during the stare-down we were sitting at the table, a cool British journalist asked him, 'Do you understand what he's saying?' And he kind of said, 'No.' But I saw that 'no,' it was like: 'Why is he saying that? What is it?' It rattled him. And I was just messing with him,' added the champion.
Recall that in 2024, Usyk defeated Fury twice on points.
