Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury were involved in an intense if not slightly bizarre face-off at Thursday’s final press conference ahead of their stunning rematch on Saturday.
The two sent their final messages before staring at each other for around 12 minutes in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, Fury was in no mood for joking – perhaps a departure from his usual demeanour.
The ‘Gypsy King’ is out for revenge, looking to correct the only defeat of his remarkable career.
Usyk edged a tight split decision victory in May to become the first undisputed world champion of the heavyweight division since Lennox Lewis in 2000.
Fury had been a slight favourite heading into the first fight and looked in a relative amount of control during the opening stages.
Quite how much Fury’s showboating inside the ring actually played a part in Usyk coming on strong in the back half of the fight is up for debate, though the British fighter believes it did not help.
A next-level, lengthy stare-down between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk! #Usyk2Fury | Saturday | LIVE on TNT Sports Box Office ▶️ https://t.co/FXWiFF9GtR pic.twitter.com/TxCwpYqrJ8
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) December 19, 2024
Fury, in fact, vowed to cut the gesturing out ahead of the rematch and sent a simple yet ominous message to his opponent.
“I’ve got nothing to say apart from there’s going to be a whole lot of hurt and pain in this fight – you watch,” he said.
“The talking has been done. In the first fight, I talked, I joked [for] all my career. This time, I’m serious. I’m going to do some f******* damage here.”
Usyk, meanwhile, sent the same warning to Fury as he did earlier this year.
“Don’t be afraid, I will not leave you alone. See you on Saturday.”
