Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk engaged in a tense standoff for more than ten minutes at the final press conference before their successful rematch.
After an extravagant event featuring live music and attended by some of the biggest names in boxing, the heavyweight rivals faced off on stage on Thursday.
Despite the efforts of World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaimán, the pair remained face to face for more than ten minutes, with both men looking to gain a psychological advantage over their opponent.
When the dust settled, fans took to social media to express their excitement for what promises to be another momentous occasion in Riyadh.
One wrote: ‘Fury and Usyk stared at each other for 10 minutes straight, not wanting to lose eye contact first and show weakness.
“I’m very excited about this fight.”
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk met for the last time before their rematch on Saturday.
The heavyweight rivals stood face to face for more than ten minutes before being separated.
In his pre-fight comments, Fury promised to be fully focused on his job as he looks to avenge his only professional loss.
Another added: “Usyk is a cold man. Fury is right, this is going to be something special.”
A third agreed: ‘Tell me why I feel more worried about Usyk now than I did in May.
‘The fury just seems more controlled. Could be just mind games, I don’t know. I can’t wait for Saturday
Just two days away from their highly anticipated showdown, both fighters faced questions in front of the assembled media in attendance.
Fury took the stage first, dressed in an extravagant black and white suit topped by a black fedora.
Not to be outdone, Usyk joined him on stage accompanied by a live musical performance with choir and brass section.
When asked his opinion on the rematch, Fury kept his response unusually brief: “I’m going to dish out a lot of pain.”
‘I’m going to put this bastard in the injured locker, for sure.
Fans took to social media to express their excitement for the long-awaited showdown.
He continued, “I have nothing to say other than there will be a lot of pain and hurt in this fight you are watching.”
‘That’s all I have to say. It has been spoken. You know, in the first fight I talked, I joked, throughout my entire career.
‘This time I’m serious. I’m going to cause some damn damage here on Saturday night. Watch me work on this damn thing.’
Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn insisted Fury has what it takes to emerge victorious in the rematch.
“The only thing I’ll say is that people ask me all the time who’s going to win this fight,” Hearn said.
“Oleksandr Usyk is an incredible fighter and it will take something extraordinary to beat him on Saturday night, but I know we have had our differences, Tyson Fury is capable of extraordinary things.
‘I think his victory against Wladimir Klitschko in Germany. I saw it in a hotel on a laptop in America and thought I had no chance. He won every round.
‘When he fought Deontay Wilder in America, I thought he had absolutely no chance. He was robbed in the first fight. He tore him to pieces in the second fight.
Usyk emerged victorious when the pair met for the first time inside the ring in a 12-round clash in May.
The undisputed two-division champion has yet to taste defeat in his professional career.
‘Two great generational heavyweights, two credits for sport. May God bless you both on Saturday night. But most of all, I can’t believe I’m saying it. May Tyson Fury triumph on Saturday night for Great Britain.
The pair stood face to face for over ten minutes, with Fury becoming more and more animated as they went on.
When they first met inside the ring in May, Usyk handed Fury the first loss of his professional career and, in doing so, claimed the undisputed heavyweight title.
After a tense opening, Fury enjoyed success during the middle rounds that night before the Ukrainian recovered as the fight progressed.
In the ninth round, Usyk overwhelmed his larger opponent, peppering Fury with a flurry of counterpunches that led the referee to call for an eight count.
Once again, the Gypsy King demonstrated his uncanny ability to bounce back from adversity by returning to the fight in the final rounds, but in the end it was not enough and Usyk was declared the winner on two of the three judges’ scorecards.
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