Tyson Fury has come in for fierce criticism after threatening to kill Dereck Chisora in their domestic heavyweight showdown at Wembley Arena on July 23, insisting, “I’m going to snap your chin off your body”.
The unbeaten 6ft 9in giant ramped up the war of words with British and Commonwealth champion Chisora during a conference call to publicise their fight.
However, the 23-year-old let his emotions get the better of him when he took the insults to a whole new level, vowing to kill his fellow Brit — claims which forced Chisora to hang up.
Fury said: “I’ve a wife and two kids to provide for and if it means killing you in the ring, that’s what I will have to do. To beat me he will have to kill me because I’m prepared to die in the ring. I’m putting it all on the line. I’m going to snap your chin off your body.
“You are an arrogant little p****. I’ll smash your face in. You are a s***house as well. It will come down to one thing on the night: who’s got the bigger heart? Who wants it more? I know I want it so badly, nothing will stop me.”
Although Fury later apologised for his outburst, an incensed Frank Warren, who promotes Chisora, wrote an angry letter to Robert Smith, the general secretary of the British Board of Boxing Control.
In the note he said: “It’s totally unacceptable, unprofessional and unprovoked behaviour. It did nothing to enhance a British title fight. It doesn’t enhance the sport as a whole, either. His vile insults and disgusting comments have no place in British boxing.”
This latest series of events do little to raise the profile of the sport, especially when some sections of the media came down hard on David Haye’s pre-fight taunts ahead of his world heavyweight unification clash with Wladimir Klitschko only weeks ago.
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A furious Warren continued: “Fury hasn’t got much upstairs. In my view, empty vessels make the most noise. My man will not be at the head-to-head press conference on Monday listening to any more of that talk.”
Despite issuing an apology, Fury defended his comments. “I didn’t come on to this phone call to be aggressive, but when he comes out with stuff about me having no heart, what do you expect me to do?
“I’m doing this for my family and I’m going to smash his face in. But I do apologise to anyone listening if I have offended them. All this trash talk is rubbish. I’m sick of talking. I just want to get in the ring and I just can’t wait for fight night to come along.” —ESPN
