Tyson Fury shows 'confusion and anxiety' as Oleksandr Usyk rattles him ahead of undisputed fight

Tyson Fury is 'intimidated and disgruntled' by Oleksandr Usyk ahead of their highly-anticipated face-off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia next week, according to a body language expert.

For the first time in over two decades, an undisputed heavyweight champion will be crowned after Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999.

Fury and Usyk take the ring next Saturday (May 18) after the original date in February was cancelled. The Gypsy King has arrived in Saudi Arabia and anticipation is building ahead of the fight.

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However, according to world-renowned body language expert Darren Stanton, the British boxer is 'intimidated and disgruntled' by Usyk ahead of their fight. DAZN recently published a video of Fury reacting to a brief message from Usyk.

"Hey, my friend. Don't be afraid, I will not leave you alone," the Ukrainian heavyweight said. Fury responded by asking what his opponent meant before repeating the question with a frown.

Stanton has insisted that Fury's body language doesn't reflect his usual pre-fight confidence. Speaking to BonusCodeBets, he said: “The key thing from this is what we call a reverse, or an upturned smile. It happens when a human naturally experiences an emotion like sadness, but is trying to artificially convey happiness instead.

“However, there are contradictions in his body language. Quite simply, he’s trying to look indifferent and as though Usyk’s threat has not bothered him, but his non-verbal signals betray what he is trying to say.

“The upturned smile and the way he retreats back from the camera, before the slight raise of his eyebrows, suggests confusion and anxiety. In its most pure form, Fury’s body language is showing signs that he is intimidated and disgruntled by what Usyk has said to him.

“Another key giveaway is the fact that his voice pitch and volume are extremely low, almost indistinguishable compared to his normal baseline pattern. The way he leans forward suggests interest in what Usyk has to say, but the way he withdraws and immediately tries to counter with this upturned smile suggests an element of fear.”

He added: “With English not being Usyk’s first language, his phrasing is certainly bizarre and the message itself could almost be read on a script as a gesture of good will. However, the context makes it completely different and this seems to have rattled Fury.

“I’ve spent years researching Tyson Fury and his body language and I really like him as a person and as a fighter. But what we are seeing here is a very different version from the usually brash and boisterous ‘Gypsy King’.

“This feels very unlike Fury and as though Usyk not being fazed by his mind games has affected him before their undisputed title fight. He may well have finally met his match.”

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