Luke Humphries hits back at Peter Wright: ‘One world title would match everything he’s ever achieved’
Wright vowed to beat Luke Humphries and Luke Littler at this year’s World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace
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Your support makes all the difference.Luke Humphries has returned fire in a war of words with fellow darts world champion Peter Wright, saying: “If I don’t fear someone, I don’t keep mentioning them all the time.”
Wright, who won the PDC World Darts Championship in 2020 and 2022, said before this year’s tournament that he was going to Alexandra Palace on a mission to beat world No 1 Humphries and teenage sensation Luke Littler, and he will have the chance to back up his fighting talk when he faces Humphries in their fourth-round encounter, which will take place either on Sunday or Monday.
The 54-year-old Wright said ahead of the World Championship: “People think, ‘Oh, he should be retiring, he should be going to the old gits’ thing’ (the seniors tour). No, I’m not ready for that yet. I’m ready to upset Luke Littler. I’m here to upset Luke Humphries.
“I believe I can win it again. I won one of the European Tour events (the German Darts Championship), beat Luke Littler in the final 8-5, and won six legs on the trot. You can overlook me if you like, I don’t care. What drives me on? Luke Humphries and Luke Littler because I know I can still compete with them. Based on what I’m doing in practice, I can compete with these guys and be better than them.”
Wright overcame a chest infection to beat Jermaine Wattimena and will now meet Humphries after the tournament favourite dispatched Nick Kenny 4-0.
“He’s had a lot to say over the last couple of weeks where he says that he doesn’t fear me and Luke Littler, but he said he’s going to smash us,” Humphries said. “The pressure’s on him now because if he doesn’t then the egg’s on his face, not mine.
“I’m really, really relaxed and if he doesn’t beat us then it’s going to look silly on him, not me. I just think Peter loves to play the mind games, but they don’t work with me. I’m one world title away from almost matching his career, and I’m about 25 years younger, so I think one world title would match everything he’s ever achieved in the game.
“So I don’t look into it too much. I think he’s trying to play the mind games, but unfortunately for him, it doesn’t work on me, and it probably won’t work on Luke Littler. He said he doesn’t fear us, but if I don’t fear someone, I don’t keep mentioning them all the time.”
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