Tyson Fury left utterly confused by Oleksandr Usyk's message before fight

Tyson Fury was left baffled after Oleksandr Usyk sent him a message just days before the rivals finally meet in the ring.

Fury and Usyk will clash in Saudi Arabia on Saturday week to crown the first undisputed heavyweight world champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999. The pair were first pencilled in to fight at Wembley last April before December and February dates also fell by the wayside.

But the first bell will finally ring in 10 days' time and Usyk made sure to tell Fury he will see him in Riyadh. "Hey, my friend. Don't be afraid, I will not leave you alone," he said on a documentary ahead of the clash. When Fury was shown the message, he asked: "What does that even mean? Don't be afraid I won't leave you alone?"

Fury has, however, admitted he faces a tough task later this month if he is to remain undefeated. "Oleksandr Usyk’s a real bad man and to underestimate Usyk you’d be a mug," he told Queensberry Promotions. "So I’m training hard for him, I’m doing everything I can. I respect Usyk as a man. I respect his career as well – Olympic champion, undisputed cruiserweight champion, unified heavyweight champion.

"You have to respect that, I’m not fighting some guy who’s had 14 and won 11. I’m fighting the real deal – as real deal as Holyfield. I’m looking forward to the challenge. He’s a southpaw, he’s got good footwork so they say, good boxing ability, technically sound. He’s proved he can mix it with the big heavyweights because he’s beat Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois. I’m messing with an elite fighter."

And Fury's promoter Frank Warren has no doubts about his fighter's mentality. “I’m confident we are going to get a vintage performance, I spoke to him during the week," he told talkSPORT. "He’s in a very good shape I think, and although he had that cut it has come good as he has had back-to-back camps.

"Physically I have never seen him look so well. The worry was going straight into a training camp was that he’d peak too soon. He has worked really hard so that he is in his best nick on May 18. I just feel he is going to put on a magnificent performance and stop Usyk."