Tyson Fury has named his Mount Rushmore of the four greatest boxers of modern times - and given the most 'Tyson Fury answer ever'.
Quite literally. When SPORTbible asked Fury to name his era's best pound-for-pound boxers, the undefeated heavyweight replied: "I'd say myself: one, two, three and four - and then whoever else afterwards. No one comes close; no one comes close to the Gypsy King."
But wait: there's a logic to his answer. When SPORTbible nervously brought up Floyd Mayweather - boxing's former pound-for-pound king - Fury delivers his reasoning like a stiff jab.
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"Well pound-for-pound, I believe is a load of pound-for-pound bulls**t, because it's not real," said the 32-year-old.
"So therefore I don't even take that into consideration. Because if everyone was the same size... It's like saying if everyone drove a Ferrari or everyone lived in a mansion. It's just not possible, is it?
"If everybody had wings, would they be able to outfly an eagle? It's just like saying that. I don't even know where this pound-for-pound rubbish came from because: if everybody was the same size... That's ludicrous [as a premise].
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"Everyone's not the same size. And they never will be. So you can never say: would Floyd Mayweather beat Lennox Lewis? It's not gonna happen!"
Fury may have lost us with the eagles and the Ferraris, but his overall point is clear. That pound-for-pound - calculating who's the best if every boxer was the same size - is a flawed concept, because fighters are simply not all built the same.
So the heavyweight champion is always No 1 (and two, three, four apparently), because in reality he would beat any boxer from another weight class if they were ever to clash in the ring.
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Of course, Fury isn't the only elite heavyweight on the planet - and he gave us his prediction for how a fight between himself and Anthony Joshua would play out in 2021.
"It goes down pretty simple, right? He goes down - quite quickly," said Fury, talking to us around the release of his new book, The Furious Method: Transform your Mind, Body and Goals.
"The fight with me and Anthony Joshua, it's a long time in the making. But I think we're within reaching distance on it now. And hopefully, after this pandemic vanishes, then we can all get back to what we do best and gear up for the biggest fight in boxing history.
"I think it goes down pretty quick, because he's coming to fight, I'm coming to fight... So it'll be quick and sharp. Gonna put it on him in the first round and hopefully get him out of there: first, second, third, fourth - however long it takes."
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A highly versatile boxer, Fury is able to win fights on the back foot and utilise his 6ft 9in frame or press the action, as he did in bludgeoning Deontay Wilder to defeat in February.
Fury explains that the tactics he'd use in a fight against AJ would be similar to the ones he used in that rematch against Wilder: dominating the centre of the ring and forcing Joshua back. His view is that having come through Wilder's punches twice, Joshua's firepower holds no fear.
"I've just took out the biggest puncher in boxing history," explained Fury. "I've no reason to be afraid of not the biggest puncher in boxing in history. So I'll just take it to him from round one. That's it.
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"In a boxing match, it can only go one or two ways... because I don't see a draw happening between me and AJ. It's either a win or a loss. And I think it's by knockout either way. Take your pick, put your money down, let's go!"
Fury, shirtless and fresh from a workout as he speaks to us via Zoom, has managed to stay in a good place mentally during lockdown. Wilder has called him a cheat, claimed Fury's gloves were doctored and unleashed a series of other outlandish excuses since his seventh-round stoppage defeat. But Fury speaks about his rival - who apparently still wants a third fight in 2021 - without malice.
"Everyone's got different ways of taking a loss and I'm sure Deontay Wilder's mental health has been affected by all of this," said Fury.
"After not being beaten for 12 years and then all sudden you've been knocked out, smashed to pieces, not even involved in a fight it was that one-sided - it's gonna affect him. Different people have different ways of expressing themselves and to come out with all ludicrous chat is quite stupid really.
"But I'm not having a lot to say about Deontay Wilder. I'm not saying anything negative, because I've been in a low mental place myself before. And I've come out with a lot of bulls**t myself.
"So I know where he's coming from. And my advice to him would be to seek medical advice immediately. Because, nearly a year after being beat, he's still banging on about the same stuff. It's damaging to his career and his reputation, his own mental wellbeing."
Staying on top of his own mental health, through a combination of exercise and eating healthily (albeit with an occasional cheat day) has been crucial for Fury's wellbeing.
But he admits he'd never in a better state of mind than when he's training for a fight. And it's the prospect of Fury vs Joshua next year that will really light a fire under a man who wants to conclusively prove that he is what he claims: the No 1 fighter across all of boxing.
The Furious Method: Transform your Mind, Body and Goals by Tyson Fury is out now
All imagery: PA Images
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Heavyweight boxing, Pound for pound, Tyson Fury, Boxing News, Anthony Joshua, Boxing, Fight News, Deontay Wilder, Floyd Mayweather
