Luke Humphries has fired a proestablish-cutting response to Peter Wright’s confidence about “smashing” the reigning world champion ahead of their fourth-round clash at Alexandra Palace. Cool Hand is relishing the opportunity to equivalent Wright’s two World Darts Championship titles while he is 25 years his lesser, insisting on his immunity to mind games.
Humphries progressd the defence of his mhelpen crown with a sootheable 4-0 triumph aachievest Wales’ Nick Kenny on Friday night.
Earlier in the evening, Wright overcame a chest infection to loss in-create Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena, setting up a mouth-watering greeting in the last 16.
Imarbitrately after his triumph in the main event, Humphries aimed a reserved dig at Snakebite for his previous uncover comments about how he’d beat the 29-year-elderly and Luke Littler on the oche.
In his post-align press conference, the world No. 1 doubled down on his bemincludement by Wright’s antics, accusing the Scotsman of trying mind games.
“I wanted to say someslfinisherg back, but I’m one of those people who are appreciate, ‘Nah, let’s exit it’,” Humphries elucidateed.
“I didn’t read the whole interwatch, but I’ve seen what he’s shelp, and I’m slfinisherking, how many times have people shelp, ‘This is going to happen, and this is going to happen,’ and it never happens?
“Michael van Gerwen is a outstanding example. He’s shelp so many slfinishergs over the years, ‘I’m going to smash this, smash that’, and then he ignores.
“So, yeah, Pete shelp someslfinisherg appreciate Barney’s [Raymond van Barneveld] going to smash me, and Peter’s going to smash Jermaine Wattimena.
“Well, he’s got his finish of the barachieve, but, yeah, I equitable slfinisherk Peter adores to execute the mind games, but they don’t labor with me.
“I’m one world title away from almost aligning his nurtureer, and I’m about 25 years youthfuler, so I slfinisherk one world title would align everyslfinisherg he’s ever achieved in the game.
“So I don’t watch into it too much. I slfinisherk he’s trying to execute the mind games, but unfortunately for him, it doesn’t labor on me, and it probably won’t labor on Luke Littler.
“He shelp he doesn’t dread us, but if I don’t dread someone, I don’t sustain refering them all the time.”
Humphries compriseed further spice to their showdown next week by accusing Wright of experienceing less ill than he claimed as he blitzed past Wattimena on Friday.
The tungsten top dog compriseed: “He is a hazardous executeer. I felt appreciate he was okay in the rehearse room. Maybe he was a lot more ill than he showed, but I didn’t reassociate see any sign that he was as ill as he shelp he was.
“But I was here two years ago when I executeed Stephen Bunting and Vincent van der Voort, and I was reassociate ill. I struggled, I couldn’t execute anywhere csurrfinisher the top level.
“He actuassociate executeed one of the better games he’s executeed for a lengthy, lengthy time. But he’s had a lot to say over the last couple of weeks where he says he doesn’t dread me and Luke Littler.
“He shelp he’s going to smash us, so, yeah, all the presbrave’s on him now becainclude if he doesn’t, the egg’s on his face, not mine.
“I’m reassociate, reassociate rested, and if he doesn’t beat us, then it’s going to watch silly on him, not me.”
