Roy Keane was not happy with Tyson Fury‘s answer to a question he was posed ahead of his upcoming bout with Oleksandr Usyk. The Gypsy King will become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis if he manages to inflict the first defeat of Usyk’s professional career on Saturday night.
Ahead of the fight, Fury was asked which traits he would take from the Sky Sports pundits covering Manchester United‘s win over Newcastle on Wednesday. The undefeated heavyweight replied: « Roy Keane’s aggression and Wayne Rooney’s skill. »
Sky Sports presenter David Jones turned to Keane to suggest that he should not be happy with Fury picking Rooney’s skill over his own. The former United midfielder seemed to agree with Jones, saying: « Yeah, my aggression, Wayne’s skill… I’m not sure about that. »
Keane, who is known to be a huge boxing fan, has criticised Fury in the past for stalling over a fight with Anthony Joshua. Asked which of the two British heavyweights he preferred in 2021, Keane said: « I don’t like any of them. The heavyweight stuff is irritating me, too much talk. None of them. They both irritate me. I’m not picking any of them.”
The Irishman has previously tried his hand at boxing, which comes as little surprise given his reputation as a football hardman in addition to his never-ending stamina. He took up the sport aged nine, following his brother into a local amateur boxing gym in Cork.
Keane’s stint in the ring was short-lived as he eventually gave up boxing to focus on his football career. He did have some success, though, winning all four of his amateur fights before hanging up his gloves.
Reflecting on the experience during an episode of the Stick To Football podcast, Keane said: « My brother had about 50 amateur fights but I had about four fights. I was unbeaten, you know what I mean. It was great, brilliant when you were younger with training. I loved everything about it and the discipline. »
It remains to be seen whether Fury will be able to get the job done against Usyk when the pair finally collide in Saudi Arabia this weekend. The build-up to the fight has already been marred by controversy, with Fury’s father John being left bloodied after headbutting a member of Team Usyk when a verbal confrontation turned physical earlier this week.
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