“No, I’m not going to fight with Itauma because he’s a young guy. I don’t want to break this guy,” Usyk said to InsideRingShow.
Fury rejected that explanation.
“Bulls**t. Oleksandr is coming up to around 40 years old, he has just been pushed all of the way and probably lost every round against a kickboxer. So, I don’t think that he wants to fight a 21-year-old kid who is mustard, for no gain,” Fury said to iFL TV.
“He is not going to gain big money because Moses doesn’t have that following at the moment or the popularity. He is coming up, he is a rising star, but he is not on top at the moment, so he [Usyk] isn’t going to gain anything from it.”
Fury believes the risk-reward equation makes little sense for Usyk at this stage of his career.
“It’s all to lose and nothing to gain. If he beats Moses, he has beat a young kid coming up and if he loses to Moses, he has lost to a 21-year-old, so it doesn’t make much sense [for Usyk to fight him],” Fury said.
Usyk is coming off his 11th-round stoppage victory over Rico Verhoeven on May 23 in Egypt. The performance generated debate after Verhoeven proved far more competitive than many expected and was ahead 96-94 on one scorecard when the fight was stopped.
The WBC heavyweight champion must now decide whether to defend against interim champion Agit Kabayel, pursue a rematch with Verhoeven, or vacate the title.
Itauma faces Filip Hrgovic on August 29 at London’s O2 Arena. A victory over the former world title challenger would strengthen his position near the top of the heavyweight division and increase calls for a world title shot.
