Featured Image Credit: TNT Sports/X

Oleksandr Usyk remained cool, calm and collected after Tyson Fury mocked the unified WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion for wearing an earring.

Ahead of their scheduled bout in Saudi Arabia on February 17, both fighters sat down with TNT Sports to discuss a number of different subjects, including their training schedules.

But arguably the biggest talking point from the leaked face-to-face interview was Fury’s decision to comment on Usyk’s earring.

“I know he can’t beat me, I know he can’t,” the 35-year-old said. “A man who wears an earring can never beat Tyson Fury, ever. Not a chance, no-one who wears earrings can beat him.”

Usyk was quick to fire back and explained that the earring was a symbol of his Cossack lineage.

“I can explain about the earrings,” Usyk replied, “It’s Ukrainian warrior, Cossack. They were the people who defended my country from our enemies for many years.

“This is just the proof of my Cossack lineage – they never lost to anybody. There is no beauty or fashion in this.”

Fury hit back: “Listen in Ukraine it means he’s a good fighting man, for him. But where I’m from it means he’s a p***y with an earring in.”

You can watch the exchange in full below.

‘The Gypsy King’ will be looking to bounce back from a lacklustre display against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who almost pulled off the biggest upset in boxing history.

Fury has claimed, however, that he will only train for five weeks ahead of next month’s bout with Usyk.

“I’m not even in the gym. I don’t train this far out come on,” he said in the sit-down interview with TNT. “Who do you think you’re talking to? A professional athlete? Come on. I train four to five weeks for these fights.”

Steve Bunce, who hosted the face-to-face sit-down interview for TNT Sports, would then question Fury’s claims, saying: “You said you trained 12 weeks for Francis Ngannou.”

‘The Gypsy King’ hit back: “Please. Like I trained 12 weeks for Wilder and everybody else. Four or five weeks. How much training does a man need? Three or four weeks of sparring and one week of resting, done.”