Tyson Fury: “I’m gonna play with Dereck Chisora for a while, then I’m gonna stop him!”

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I recently had the chance to speak with undefeated heavyweight contender, Tyson Fury, ahead of his July 26th rematch with Dereck Chisora. In a fight that’s been three years in the making, Tyson will look to once again defeat Chisora and line himself up for a possible title shot. A variety of topics were discussed in the interview, including the growth of Chisora since their first encounter, Tyson’s thoughts on Wladimir Klitschko, a prediction for the Chisora bout, and much more. Here is what Tyson Fury had to say.

Robert Brown: You’ve got this fight with Dereck Chisora coming up on July 26th. What are your thoughts on the fight?

Tyson Fury: I’m excited about the fight, it’s gonna be a great fight. I already beat Dereck Chisora a while back, it was an entertaining fight. He’s come on a lot since then, so they say. I’d just like another chance to show Britain once again that I’m the number one heavyweight and whoever wants to fight to challenge me, I will take on. It’s a final eliminator for the world title as well. It’s a big fight, it’s a fight that I must win. It’s a fight that I can’t take lightly and a fight that I will not be taking lightly.

Robert Brown: How do you compare Dereck’s performance against Kevin Johnson compared to yours and how much do you think Dereck has improved?

Tyson Fury: You can’t really compare different fights to different people. Just because we have a common opponent doesn’t really mean anything, because styles make fights. It was what it was, Johnson’s an awkward customer, he make’s it hard for anybody so you can’t really compare the fighters off of that fight.

Chisora does what he does, he works hard, he comes forward and he throws loads of punches, but that isn’t going to be good enough when he fights me because you need to be able to do more than that, you need to be able to knock me out. I don’t believe Dereck Chisora has the power to knock me out at all.

Robert Brown: Don Charles believes that the experience that Chisora has had at world level is going to count them in good stead for this fight. How do you respond to that?

Tyson Fury: I hope it does bring him in good stead. I don’t want him when he’s gonna fall over after a couple of rounds, so I hope he gives me the best fight I’ve ever had. I hope it’s the hardest, most grueling fight I’ve ever had. I hope that they can be successful in the fight and I wish them the best of luck, but it’s not gonna mean much because I’m about a month from doing the same thing again.

Robert Brown: You’ve said in the past that Wladimir Klitschko is afraid of you and that he will never fight you. Assuming that you get past Chisora, do you think Wladimir will fight you then?

Tyson Fury: I think he’ll vacate the title or retire. He ain’t gonna fight me, I don’t think. Actually, no, he’s not gonna fight me. It’s quite silly to even dream that we’re gonna be able to take the fight because I believe he’s gonna fight Pulev and then try to get the fight with Bermane Stiverne and if he doesn’t get that, he will retire. He will definitely not fight me in a defense of his title, so we’ll see how it pans out. One fight at a time, I’m not looking past Dereck Chisora.

Robert Brown: If you get past Dereck Chisora, in your opinion Wladimir will duck you?

Tyson Fury: Yep, and you’ve heard it from me before it happens.

Robert Brown: In your last fight against Joey Abell you did get hit hard with a couple of right hands. How would you assess your performance against Abell? Would you be worried if you happened to get hit with those sorts of shots from Chisora?

Tyson Fury: No because Joey Abell hits double as hard as Dereck Chisora — he had 29 knockouts out of 30 wins. I was playing around and I was having fun, it was what it was. I rated the performance great, it was entertaining. I did what I do best, entertain the people. It was what it was, I was happy with the performance.

Dereck Chisora is no better than Joey Abell, just a journeyman. Dereck Chisora is a gatekeeper for young prospects and as soon as I’m finished with him again, that’s all he will ever be. He’s useless, he can’t fight basically, he’s a journeyman fighter, a stepping stone, gatekeeper. If you’re under powered, he’ll beat you, if you’re not, you will beat him.

Robert Brown: How are you feeling in the preparations for the Chisora fight at the moment?

Tyson Fury: Yeah I’m feeling good. I’ve got a lot of good sparring, I’ve had a lot of good preparation, I’m doing the right things in camp. I’ll be ready, I’m always ready. There’s never any excuses from me. All I can do is give my best and if it’s not good enough then so be it, and if it is good enough, on to the next one.

I can’t do anything about it, the only thing I can do is train hard, eat well, sleep right and go in there and fight to a gameplan, that’s it. The rest is in God’s hands. Training camp has been good, everything has been good.

Robert Brown: If you get past Chisora, who will be your preferred target if Klitschko vacates the belt?

Tyson Fury: Deontay Wilder I’d like to fight because he’s a big name, he’s supposed to be a good man. That’s the one I’m targeting at the minute, after Dereck Chisora, if Klitschko ain’t gonna take the fight — which I don’t think he will.

Robert Brown: So you’ll be after Deontay Wilder?

Tyson Fury: He’s just a skinny legged American. He hasn’t fought anybody and when he gets banged on the chin, he’ll go over hard, he won’t recover. He’s never been hit practically so we’ll see if he can handle the Furious one, which I doubt it.

Robert Brown: If you fight Deontay Wilder, do you think it would go into deep water or would it be over with early?

Tyson Fury: To be honest, it could go one of two ways. If I don’t knock him out early on within the first couple of rounds, then I’d take him into a very water, somewhere he’s never been, 5, 6, 7, 8 rounds he’s out of there.

He’s all about knocking people out — boxing’s a two way street, you’ve got to be able to take it and dish it out. He hasn’t taken anything, he has never been in a crisis situation. He’s only fought dummies. When you’re fighting dummies and you’re building a big reputation, when you fight somebody who can actually fight and has been in these crisis’s and gone through them, you’re in trouble.

People are saying he’s a good puncher, great he’s a good puncher. All heavyweights punch hard, so it’s not really an issue. Let’s see if he can step up to the plate and not make a million excuses after I’ve dealt with Dereck Chisora.

Robert Brown: Do you have a prediction for your fight with Dereck Chisora?

Tyson Fury: Yeah I do. I’m gonna give him the best beating sure enough he’s ever had. I’m gonna play with him like he’s a child, I’m gonna show him what level he’s at. I’m gonna play with him for a while, then I’m gonna stop him.

Robert Brown: Around what round?

Tyson Fury: Anywhere between the 4th and 7th.

Robert Brown: I want to get your views on a potential Pacquiao-Marquez fifth fight. Who do you think might win that fight?

Tyson Fury: To be honest I’m not really interested with who wins that fight. It’s not a fight that I’m interested in. Four times they’ve already fought, it’s a good fight every time, it doesn’t really matter who wins. It’s just a good trilogy isn’t it?

Robert Brown: Who do you think will win out of Mayweather and Maidana? Do you think Mayweather will handle it easier this time?

Tyson Fury: Yeah I think he’ll undo him again, he’ll beat Maidana again. It’s the difference in being a world class fighter and being a super world class fighter, and that’s what Mayweather is. Maidana is just a pressure fighter who comes forward, Mayweather can beat those types of fighters all day long.