- Boxing. Errol Spence Jr. under fire for his physique: 'Errol, go back to the gym'
- Boxing. Mike Tyson's shocking return to the ring: Fans stunned by his next move before Jake Paul fight
Tyson Fury is eager to prove that his defeat in May to Oleksandr Usyk was nothing more than a fluke. After laying low for much of the summer, the Gypsy King got the attention of Instagram with a spree of posts that sent a strong message to his heavyweight rival, including this explosive video.
Tyson Fury addresses Usyk on Instagram
The first jab between the two fighters with claims to the title of "World Heavyweight Champion" came via Fury's Instagram Story. He reposted a video from a Usyk fan showing a personal message from the Ukrainian.
"My friend Tyson Fury. I'm ready, 23 December. Are you ready?" he said before dancing away.
Tyson added his response in text on his IG story, writing "on the 23 dec u will still be smahed up kid."
Within a matter of minutes, Fury followed his story with a full training video on Instagram that turned just as many heads. He displayed a new technique that may not help him in the ring against Usyk, but proved that his methodical training program is leaving no stone unturned ahead of the highly-anticipated sequel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Fury's training camp in Thailand
In the video, the 35-year-old could be seen sparring at the ISS Boxing Gym in Pattaya, Thailand with Kancho McInnes. He took on a challenger with a devastating Muay Thai move, after which he let out a primal roar that Usyk could probably hear in Ukraine.
"These guys have beat the f*ck out of me for a week, and I mean they have brutalized me in every single way that I didn't even think was imaginable," Tyson said in a video posted by Kancho on Instagram. "Old school training, taking me right back to basics."
The humbling experience in Thailand clearly left Fury ready to get back to his braggadocious ways on social media. With Fury vs Usyk 2 close to 100 days away, the first warning shots have been fired.