Tyson Fury has said he intends to become the first “£500 million heavyweight boxer in history”.
The heavyweight boxer made the pronouncement ahead of his titanic clash against Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday.
The two fighters will go head-to-head in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this weekend in a bid to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world since Lennox Lewis.
Fury sustained a nasty gash above his eye during a sparring session, causing the original February date to be pushed back to May 18.
With his 36th birthday quickly approaching and a historic achievement just one win away, many would be forgiven for expecting the Gypsy King to finally make good on a retirement announcement in the near future.
But ahead of the clash, Fury stated his intention to fight another “eight to 10 more times to the age of 40” and revealed his ultimate driver.
“Happy days, with those fights I’ll become the first £500 million heavyweight boxer in history.” He told The Telegraph. “Some legacy that would be.
“This is an important fight but again, I hate to say it because the boxing fans and the boxing purists and all them w******, they don’t want to hear it, but why do you think I box? For the money.
“If anybody in this building, or anybody in professional boxing, tells me they don’t do this game for money, they’re lying to you, and I speak from the heart.
“I do it for the dough. The bigger the deal, the better. I’m a prize-fighting pugilist specialist.
“That’s what I do. I fight for the prize, whether it be gold bars, gold coins, cash, transfers, cars, whatever you want to pay me, pay me in bags of sand for all I care, as long as I can make a drink on it, deal done.”
The monetary might of the Gulf State and the passion of the Saudi minister Turki Alalshikh make Fury’s ambition a realistic one.
According to the Independent, he is contracted to earn 70 percent of the total purse.
And that purse is bulging at a value of £116 million, meaning Fury is due to take home £81.2 million.
However, he will have to donate £1 million of his earnings to Ukraine, Usyk’s homeland, amid the invasion of Russia.
That requirement is stipulated in his fight contract.
On Monday, tempers flared as the two teams crossed paths in the lobby of the palatial Riyadh Hilton Hotel at the first event of fight week.
Fury Snr became embroiled as members of Usyk’s camp repeatedly roared their man’s name at Fury’s entourage.
Suddenly, he turned on the smallest and likely the youngest provocateur and head buttted him.
Big John stepped back with blood flowing from his forehead.
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Fortunately, the rest of the angry crowd showed restraint.
His son missed the ugly action as he was giving an interview in a side room.
When he was told, Tyson said: “It is what it is. Not interested. Doesn’t affect anything. I’ve seen a lot worse.”
It is unclear as yet whether the Saudi Arabian police, who are famously severe, will take such a relaxed view of the actions of a man who served three years in prison for assault in England.
Fury Snr has only recently been re-admitted to his son’s training camp.
