Tyson Fury labels Oleksandr Usyk 'a pumped-up middleweight' after collapse of undisputed title fight

Tyson Fury has labelled rival Oleksandr Usyk ‘a pumped-up middleweight’ who doesn’t have the power to hurt him as he ‘didn’t do any damage’ to Anthony Joshua.

It comes amid reports the two heavyweight champions were on the verge of agreeing a mega-fight deal over a historic clash before talks collapsed at the last second.

Last time out the Gypsy King stopped American rival Deontay Wilder in the 11th round of their Las Vegas trilogy fight last October – and all eyes immediately turned to the undisputed heavyweight championship with Usyk.

But Joshua decided against stepping away from the fight after some deliberation as he aims to win his belts back in a rematch later this year.

Speaking to Dubai Eye 103.8 Sport, Fury, 33, was quick to belittle his would-be opponent, claiming all he would do is ‘tap dance around the ring and run away from me’.

When asked if the unbeaten Ukrainian would be a tougher opponent than the Bronze Bomber, he replied: “Usyk? Hell no, are you joking?

“You’ve got the most powerful puncher in the history of our sport, and what’s the other one going to do? Tap dance around the ring and run away from me – tip, tip, tip tip?

“He didn’t do any damage at all to AJ and he definitely ain’t [sic] doing any damage to a man like me.

“I’ll obliterate him. He’s a cruiserweight. No, he’s a pumped-up middleweight! He was a middleweight in the amateurs, 75kg; I was a super-heavyweight at 11 years old.”

Last week, Fury also confirmed his interest in a mega crossover fight against Francis Ngannou, who holds the UFC world heavyweight title.

Fury even suggested they could do it with MMA gloves on, saying: “Yeah, he’s definitely a machine, that’s for sure.

“He’s definitely a good puncher and all that, and let’s