LONDON • Tyson Fury said Wladimir Klitschko had let a "fat man beat him", before insisting he hated boxing at a foul-mouthed news conference to promote their world heavyweight title re-match.
British boxer Fury ended Klitschko's nine-year reign as world champion in Duesseldorf in November.
The pair will meet again in Fury's home city of Manchester on July 9 and it was there that the Englishman held a bizarre a press conference on Wednesday.
"I don't live a strict lifestyle - I don't even live an athlete's lifestyle," said Fury, 27, unbeaten in 25 professional bouts.
"It is an absolute disgrace to call me an athlete," he added, before taking off his shirt and shouting to Klitschko: "Shame on you - you let a fat man beat you!"
Fury said that he weighed 190kg, while his usual boxing weight is about 115kg.
He claimed to be training in Australia (he is actually training in the Netherlands) and said that he wanted to move to Los Angeles, believing that he would be better appreciated there. He said that he would rather watch TV with his children than train.
"Do I enjoy it? Definitely not," Fury said. "I do it to get paid and provide a future for my kids. It is not a money thing for Wlad, because he is already a multi-millionaire.
"If, when he's 40, he loves training, he loves killing himself, living a strict lifestyle, he's a dangerous opponent."
Fury promised to beat Klitschko, 40, even more comprehensively than he had in Duesseldorf.
"You got beaten fair and square the first time in Germany. You got whupped. You will need to be about 1,000 times better because you landed about four shots in 12 rounds," Fury said.
He went as far as to offer the former champion tips on how to win. "Obviously hit the body, because I will be losing a lot of weight," Fury said. "Chop the trunk down and the tree will fall."
Klitschko, beaten just four times in 68 bouts, said that he was embarrassed by his performance in November. "I'm not calling this a rematch, this is revenge," he said. "I didn't turn up last time.
"I'm embarrassed for myself for losing the fight and I'm embarrassed by Tyson Fury, because he's not the heavyweight champion I can look up to and be proud of.
"I made a mistake, I lost, my attitude has changed and now I'm the challenger. It's going to be a different fight."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, THE TIMES, LONDON
