Tyson Fury kept things simple at the pre-fight press conference ahead of his unification bout vs Oleksandr Usyk. But he still left fans with a memorable moment during the face-off.
The final press conference ahead of boxing’s firstundisputed heavyweight title fightof the century took place on May 16 in front of a rowdy Saudi Arabia crowd.
Fury, the reigning WBC heavyweight champion, will unify his title with Usyk’s WBA, WBO, IBF, and IBO belts in a 12-round matchup.
The much-anticipated pre-fight presser had many boxing fans glued to the screen for any semblance of trash talk between the two main eventers.
Alas,Usykonly gave a couple of statements, while his counterpart, Fury, kept it short and sweet as well. He wished his opponent well and said that the talking was over — nothing more, nothing less.
The two came face to face in the classic pre-fight stare-down — at least, that’s what was supposed to happen. Instead,Fury refused to even lookat Usyk.
‼️ Tyson Fury REFUSES to look at Oleksandr Usyk, who stares him down during their final press conference face-off…[🎥@Queensberry]pic.twitter.com/HqjdI21Xb4
While the Ukrainian star didn’t take his glare off Fury once, the British boxing champion was busy smiling, waving, and flexing at the camera.
This hilarious turn of events was far from the first timeFury has made fans laughat a press conference, as he has a history of entertaining in the days leading up to a fight.
Following the strange press conference, Fury met with a reporter who asked why he wouldn’t make eye contact with Usyk.
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“That’s a scary lookin’ dude,” Fury said in an honest assessment of the situation. It’s hard to blame ‘The Gypsy King’ there because Usyk’s stare was downright terrifying.
Still, as formidable of a foe as Usyk is, Fury promises he’s ready. And he won’t accept anything short of referee Mark Nelson raising his hand at the end.
Fury wants to follow in the footsteps of his fellow Brit Lennox Lewis as theboxingworld’s first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999.
Hunter Haas was a Senior Sports Writer at Dexerto. Over the last two years he has worked as a writer and editor for FanSided at NFLMocks. He also served as an editor at The Raider Ramble and The Blue Stable. Hunter is an expert in all things MMA, WWE, and NFL.
You can email him here: hunter.haas@dexerto.com
