After the mismatch Fury revels in chance to take on Usyk

One honest sentence put into perspective all the concerns about Dereck Chisora taking so much punishment on a nippy Saturday night out in north London.

Tyson Fury, finding himself cast as the executioner of his old buddy, said: ‘We weren’t in there to do serious damage to each other.’ The Gypsy King’s message to Oleksandr Usyk — as the Ukrainian climbed on to the ring apron to begin the propaganda war for their upcoming fight — was more menacing.

‘I’m going to splatter you,’ said Fury. ‘You little rabbit, you little sausage, you ugly little chavvy.’ For hysteria read hyperbole. Although the welcome factual news is that these two men, who hold all the glitzy belts between them, will resolve in March which of them is to be the first undisputed world heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.

To deny that either of them will deserve that honour would be disputed by Chisora, who gave his all in the service of a warm-up fight in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium refrigerator along with the cluster of rounds Fury needed to kickstart his preparations for ‘a fantastic 2023.’

As for the damage, a cut eye and swollen features were a price gallantly paid for putting on a show for the 60,000 Fury faithful who turned out in near- zero temperatures.

In return Fury gave Chisora a birthday present — he is 39 this month — as well as a Christmas gift and an early pension bonus. All wrapped up in a £2million cheque.

As for the advocates of abolishing prize-fighting, Fury said: ‘This was just a boxing match.’

Something of a mismatch, since he won every round by a distance before the referee intervened in the 10th. To paraphrase the

Good King Wenceslas carol, it was bright and crisp but not even. To quote Fury: ‘I was happy when it was stopped.’ As were we all — except the sadists in the upper tiers who booed. And it might have been a round or two sooner.

Whether or not Fury pulled some of his punches to limit the wear and tear remains their secret. What we did see was him winking at Chisora at the end of some of the more heated rounds and holding back when his challenger for the WBC title was at his most wobbly. Thus letting him go out with dignity. In all matters Fury is a unique character.

Although his next outing — probably in Saudi Arabia — will be another boxing match, Usyk would be unwise to expect his rival champion to refrain from going for the jugular if a chance to do so presents itself.

As Fury put it: ‘He looks like a rabbit with his eyes wide apart and a gap between his front teeth. So I will be the farmer who skins him, puts him in a pie and eats him for breakfast.’

nevertheless he concedes: ‘Usyk is a very good boxer. He isn’t faster on his feet than me as some people say.

‘He is ugly, like me, but it’s not good looks which wins fights. It’s the man inside the man and unlike Anthony Joshua who’s never confronted me, he’s turned up to declare his challenge.

‘We are the top two heavyweights

in the world. Me first, him second. deontay Wilder is third, as the biggest puncher, and i don’t think any heavyweight other than me would get up from him knocking them down.’

Another Brit, Joe Joyce, climbed up to the ring to call out fury, who said: ‘He’s different from Usyk, he’s the juggernaut. He can be part of my massive next year.’ that does at least promise to be more competitive than spectacle.

All that said, instead of calling for an ambulance Chisora was able to bring two huge five guys burgers to fury’s dressing room for their supper.

All that was left was for the champion to add: ‘All of this is boxing, it’s what brings me alive.’