In boxing, as in life, "size matters". These words were uttered by Tyson Fury last Wednesday at a conference held by the British boxer in his home town of Morecambe, in the north-west of England. The AFP reported. Fury is preparing to fight Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk for the unified heavyweight title in Saudi Arabia on 18 May.

The fight in Riyadh, which has fans and the boxing world eagerly anticipating the clash, has been rescheduled for May 18 after being postponed because the British boxer suffered a cut in training earlier this year. It could be the first time the heavyweight belts have been unified since Lenox Lewis did it in the 1990s, in 1999 to be precise, making it 25 years without an undisputed champion.

Usyk holds the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight belts, while Fury is the WBC champion. A former undisputed cruiserweight champion Usyk has won his 21 professional fights and is unbeaten. Fury has 33 wins and one draw on his record.

The 37-year-old Ukrainian won the heavyweight title in 2021 by defeating British boxer Anthony Joshua. He has defended his belts twice, including a rematch with Joshua in August 2022. And Usyk says he's ready for the fight that could see him crowned World champion.

"I've seen some things in the media that this is really personal between Oleksandr Usyk and me," Fury told the conference, denying it. "It's not personal. It's strictly business for both fighters. It will undoubtedly be one of the most anticipated fights of recent decades, especially after it was postponed due to an eyebrow cut suffered by Fury at the hands of one of his sparring partners," he continued 

The cut was so severe that the fight had to be postponed. The officials and promoters signed a very strict agreement to protect everyone's interests. There were big payouts if the fight did not go ahead. "The stakes are high, but I don't hate him and he doesn't hate me. He's a good man, a good God-fearing man, so I have a lot of respect for him," he insisted.

The 35-year-old Fury stands 2.06 metres tall, 15 centimetres taller than his opponent, and he believes this will work in his favour. One of the British champion's trademarks is his image and his body.

"When cruiserweights move up to the big guys, they usually come up short... You can beat the average big guys, but you can't beat the elite big guys because size really matters. We have weight classes for a reason. They will find that lacking when they fight me on the 18th of May," he said. 

Fury always likes to build up to a fight. It's his style and he's always done it. This time was no different and in comments picked up by DAZN, he addressed Usyk himself. "Is this guy going to beat me in one round unless he has developed by leaps and bounds in the last two years? I don't think so! If I want a real fight, I'll need at least 15 pints of beer. At least."

Fury still carries that image with him. He won a split decision over former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in October: Ngannou was beaten with authority by Joshua last month, knocking him out in the second round. Fury was not up to the task against the Cameroonian and will be looking to reassert his authority in the heavyweight division.

"If Tyson Fury can't beat Usyk, then Tyson is not worth it in the end. I'm not going to beat around the bush, that's it. This is my time, my destiny, my era and my generation. It is a fact," he insisted. For his part, Fury's promoter Frank Warren said he expected Fury to win with an "explosive style". He also highlighted what he believes to be Usyk's Achilles heel.

"He doesn't like the body, that's for sure. And for me, the greatest exponent of exploiting a boxer's weakness is the professor here (Fury) and that's what he's doing. If anyone is going to exploit it, it's Tyson. He has the mental capacity to do it and keep doing what he needs to do," Warren pointed out.

Fury's promoter gave his opponent no chance and backed the Englishman. "I really think Tyson is going to win this fight in an explosive style," he remarked with a lor of confidence.