Tyson Fury criticizes modern sports stars, stands by Thailand fight
Former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury says many modern athletes think they are too big to perform in small venues, and he is proud to fight in Pattaya in front of just 1,500 fans.
Tyson Fury, 37, the former heavyweight world champion, will face 46-year-old Polish boxer Mariusz Wach in Pattaya, Thailand on Friday. Although the fight is not being broadcast live and will feature on the third series of Netflix documentary 'At Home with the Furys', Fury insists it matters.
At Wednesday's press conference, Fury criticized modern sports stars. "Which other world champion on my level – a high-level athlete on earth – would do a performance in front of 1,500 in Pattaya? Do you think David Beckham would play professional football here? No way. A lot of these big celebrities and sports stars think they're bigger than they actually are."
A win against Wach sets up a long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua, but Fury says he is focused only on his opponent. "I'm not interested in what's going on elsewhere with Joshua or Wilder or Usyk or anybody. This is about me and Mariusz."
Fury also took aim at current heavyweight champions, calling them "gifted" titles. "All those men have been gifted world titles and never actually fought anyone to get them. How can you compare those men to me? I've fought legends in the game and beat them for the titles. They're in their own little group and I'm on top of the Empire State Building."
Wach, a significant underdog, promised to ruin Fury-Joshua plans by winning. Fury dismissed the idea he is overlooking his opponent: "No. I'm focused on you only. Zero interest in Joshua."
