RIYADH: The father of British boxing champion Tyson Fury has promised his sons will only fight in Saudi Arabia going forward as he hailed the hospitality of the people of the Kingdom, and even said he wants to be like them.
“Tyson Fury and the Fury family will only fight again in Saudi Arabia,” John Fury said. “This is where our heart is, we love it, the people love us”.
“Long live Saudi Arabia!” he said lifting his hands to the sky, during the "Grand Arrival" event in Boulevard City in Riyadh.
Tyson Fury faces Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight world title on Saturday at Kingdom Arena.
“I can’t express how much I enjoy this country and the people,” he said. “And I just want to be like them…because the worst man in Saudi Arabia is better than John Fury”.
“The Brits are traitors, aren’t they?’ Fury said, without elaborating on who he was referring to, and accused them of committing treason against ‘their King,’ a reference to Tyson’s nickname ‘Gypsy King’.
“Forget Great Britain, our heart, look here, beating in my body, is in Saudi Arabia because we get treated like proper people, how we deserve to be treated.”
He went on to say that Britain had never made him “feel well” and because “they could not get behind the champion,” they stand to miss out.
Saudi Arabia has become a hub for premier world boxing contests over the past few years with authorities investing heavily to bring the biggest bouts to local and international audiences.
Turki bin Abdulmohsen Alalshikh, the head of the Kingdom’s General Entertainment Authority, has spearheaded this boxing revival.
Fury snr. had high praise for the authority’s chief, “he has done the best job in the world,” he said, adding that only Saudi Arabia could have set up the Tyson-Usyk fight.
“Nobody could ever have put this fight on except Turki Alalshikh and the great Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Previous bouts in the country have garnered the attention of fans globally and has marked the Kingdom as a new home of international boxing.
In March, British heavyweight Anthony Joshua knocked out Francis Ngannou in the second round.
Another member of the Fury family, Tommy, beat YouTuber-turned-fighter Jake Paul on points in a contest in Diriyah last year.
In 2022, Usyk successfully defended his belts in a rematch against Joshua in Jeddah on points, with the Londoner failing to win back his titles against the Ukrainian.
In 2019, Joshua defeated Andy Ruiz Jr. in a revenge match at Diriyah Arena in Riyadh after the American surprised the Brit with a defeat in New York.
George Groves was knocked out by Callum Smith in the seventh round in an all-British grudge match in Jeddah in 2018.
Tyson-Usyk was delayed in February after a freak cut to Tyson during sparring, but both spectators and organizers are glad that the boxing spectacle is set for this weekend.
Fury snr. told Arab News that both fighters are at the top of their game and are veterans of the sport.
“It’ll be a good fight”.
