Tyson Fury has insisted he is “the undisputed heavyweight king” ahead of his Las Vegas debut against Tom Schwarz on June 15.
Fury has not fought since rising from the canvas twice in a controversial draw with WBC champion Deontay Wilder last December and has since turned down a rematch with the undefeated American.
The ‘Gypsy King’ has come under criticism for the selection of his opponent, with Schwarz perceived to offer very little threat, however, the lineal champion insists he is already above Wilder and Anthony Joshua in the heavyweight pecking order.
“I’d just like to clear something up,” Fury said at a press conference ahead of his upcoming bout. “Let’s rewind a few years to November 2015, there’s no doubt in anybody’s minds that Wladimir Klitschko was the undisputed heavyweight champion.
“When I kicked his ass, I became the undisputed heavyweight king.”
The prospect of the undefeated trio fighting one another has moved further away after Fury aligned with ESPN in the United States, while Deontay Wilder is in league with Showtime and Anthony Joshua with streaming platform DAZN.
But Bob Arum, Fury’s co-promoter, claimed: “A year from now I would say he is going to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
“Even more than that, he will be in the top three sportsperson in the world. He will be that well known. In one year’s time he will have fame everyone will recognise.
Ahead of the bout at the MGM Grand, Fury says his reignited love for the sport has continued to blossom with trainer Ben Davison.
“It is something I am enjoying as an athlete, a person and boxer,” Fury continued.
“I really love my job at the minute, more than I have ever done before. I used to think boxing was a chore, a job to go to.
“I trained hard for a fight and then put a ton of weight back on. Now I enjoy what I do, keep fit even when I am not boxing. I almost live my life as a routine training camp.
“[Schwarz] is not ill-preparing for this and turning up for a paycheck. He is turning up to take the lineal championship of the world. It will be an epic fight – it’s Las Vegas, it’s showtime and I will look to put on an explosive performance in the States.”
