Tyson Fury refused to make a throat-slitting gesture ahead of his fight with Derek Chisora, claiming it would not be a "good look" for boxing.
The 'Gypsy King' will return to the ring despite by making a voluntary defence of his WBC title against Derek Chisora at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 3. Fury and Chisora have touched gloves on two previous occasions. in 2011 and 2014, with the champion having his hand raised in both meetings.
Fury came face-to-face with Chisora at a press conference to announce the fight, but there was no bad blood despite their heated confrontation ringside at Joe Joyce's fight with Joseph Parker last month. And the theme continued after they had addressed the media, with Fury filming the promotion for the TV broadcast.
While stood in front of a green screen during an Instagram live stream on his profile, Fury was asked by a producer to make a throat-slitting gesture. It is usually used to signal the death of another fighter or suggestion that they are looking to 'kill' their rival.
He initially made the action across his throat with a blank look on his face as if appearing reluctant to perform it on camera. The producer then asked him to speed up the motion but Fury became uncomfortable with it and uttered: "I don't think this is really a good look for boxing because people get killed in boxing. I'd rather not do that."
The producer instead suggested Fury point down the lens to which he agreed after making his feelings clear. Boxing has claimed the lives of several fighters including earlier this year when South African boxer Simiso Buthelezi died after punching an invisible opponent during a fight.
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Fury was in good spirits during the press conference with his counterpart, and insisted he has huge respect for Chisora despite planning to pick up the KO win. "I have offered the big guys the fights and they don't want the smoke," he said. "I rate Chisora as highly as I do Usyk, so I will train like he is the hardest fight in the world. His style has changed but so has mine.
"I used to jib and jab and now I am a destroyer. So someone is getting knocked out. If he lands a big swing on me I am getting knocked out and vice versa, so the fans are in for a treat. He has fought the best of this generation and most of his losses have been to world champions, past, present or future. But I just don't think he can beat me. I will beat Chisora and then the little middleweight guy (Usyk)."
