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Tyson Fury's trainer has claimed the boxing star told him that he's going to 'kill' Oleksandr Usyk when the pair fight on Saturday night.
Anticipation for the bout is rising, with millions of fans set to tune in from all over the world.
Fury suffered the first professional defeat of his career earlier in the year, with the 36-year-old losing to Usyk in May.
His trainer, Andy Lee, says the Gypsy King is confident he can make amends on Saturday - and that he wants to 'kill' Usyk when they step out into the ring.
Tyson Fury's trainer has claimed the boxing star told him that he's going to 'kill' Oleksandr Usyk when the pair fight on Saturday night
PA
“I’ve always called him the puppetmaster because he can control his opponents at weigh-ins and interviews," he told The Sun.
"I don’t think he’s been able to do that with Usyk yet.
“There’s the battle on the outside, which everyone can see, the battle of the hands and feet and the boxing. But then there is the battle inside, the battle of wills.
“I am not sure how much he cares as in one of our last conversations in the camp I explained how he seemed to be peaking at the right time.
“He stopped me short and said, ‘Andy, I am going to kill this guy, I am just going to go through him. I don’t know what everyone is worried about and discussing it for and contemplating tactics and strategies. I am just going to go through him’.
“And once he said that, I thought, ‘Oh, yeah, he’s all right’. I trust him.
“I just believe in the man. If there is any one person who can overcome all of these things, all of these odds, then it is Tyson Fury.”
Fury has been taking the bout seriously, with the veteran eager to show he still belongs at the top of heavyweight boxing.
And Lee, when asked if Fury still has his typical fighting spirit, has claimed the Briton is no normal fighter as he looks to get revenge on his rival.
“Only he will know. He is very determined and confident. But fighters are always a little bit hesitant after a first loss. They are not as sure of themselves.
“But when you are dealing with Tyson Fury, you’re not dealing with a normal human or a normal fighter.
“You are dealing with a unique person — I trust the man.”
Stream the long-awaited rematch between the two best heavyweights in the world, Fury vs Usyk. The clash will see Tyson Fury aim to avenge his first-ever professional loss, as he fights Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the second time in a year. DAZN lets you stream across a range of devices, from iPhone, Android, iPad, Fire TV Stick, Roku, Samsung TVs, and many more. New users qualify for a 7-day free trial too. The fight is also available to stream via Amazon's Prime Video service and TNT Sports too
Tyson Fury will be hoping to get revenge on Oleksandr Usyk following his defeat to his rival earlier in the year
PA
Meanwhile, Fury's corner was scrutinised following the first fight - with some fans criticising the involvement of his father, John.
But the heavyweight star insists he had no issue with old man and that he's unfazed by the backlash.
"There was no confusion at all," he said. "You could have Angelo Dundee, Ray Arcel, Emmanuel Steward, everyone in that corner; it means s**t anyway.
"I'm going to do what I’m going to do and at the end of the fight I didn’t feel like I was not getting a decision.
Tyson Fury is adamant he can beat Oleksandr Usyk in their boxing rematch on Saturday night
GETTY
"So everyone at the ringside, my brothers, everybody, was saying, 'Oh, just do what you do and you’re winning, you won the fight', that’s it. It’s all just someone’s opinion and opinions mean s**t to me, because at the end of the day, he’s got his decision, and that’s it, on to the next one.
"That's the only thing for me, what makes me want to retire, is the s**t that comes with boxing. It’s not the fight, not the training camps, all of that’s easy. It’s just like the problems it causes, like the rows it causes with people, with families and boxing people, all that, it’s just - sometimes it’s not worth it.
"As for boxing, going in there and doing a fight or training for stuff, that’s easy, but everybody else, like people who’ve never had a fight in their life trying to give me information, what I should do in a fight or what I should have done in a fight.
"These are people who’ve never boxed, never known anything about sporting competition, but everyone’s a boxing manager or a trainer when it comes to it."
