After refusing to look at Oleksandr Usyk at Thursday’s face-off, Tyson Fury got in his opponent’s face on Friday after the weigh-ins.
Fury and Usyk will be contesting the undisputed world heavyweight championship on Saturday in Riyadh, and after engaging in some mind games on Thursday they took the more traditional route and got into a physical altercation just a day prior to their scheduled fight.
The catalyst of the confrontation was Fury, who wasted no time going nose-to-nose with Usyk at the final staredown. The WBC champion then advanced even further, only to be shoved away by the Ukrainian unified titleholder before both men’s respective entourages separated them.
It was ultimately a mild confrontation, but afterwards Fury was blunt in his message to Usyk.
“We’re ready to rock and roll, you know,” Fury said. “Fireworks tomorrow night.
“I’m going to knock this little f—ker’s spark out.”
For his part, Usyk also had a message for Fury.
“Don’t be afraid, I will not leave you alone tomorrow,” Usyk said.
To no one’s surprise, Fury tipped the scales at a much higher number than Usyk. The Briton came in at 262lbs and Usyk weighed (223.5lbs).
One of the key storylines heading into Saturday’s bout is how Usyk will negotiate the stark height and weight difference between him and his opponent, and fight fans only have one more day until they find out.
–dazn.com
