- Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk had their last press conference on Thursday
- Both men barely spoke during the event, leading to criticism from fans
- Fury then opted not to face Usyk before their post-press conference confrontation
Fans have negatively rated the pre-fight press conference between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk ahead of their undisputed heavyweight fight against Saudi Arabia on Saudi night.
The pair will finally meet in the ring in Riyadh, three months after their original fight was postponed following a cutback suffered by Fury in sparring.
Anticipation for the battle has been building over the past week, with many hoping that a war of words might break out just 48 hours before the battle, but the press conference turned out to be a timid affair.
Fury promised to keep things ‘short and sweet’ as he took the mic, simply insisting he was ‘ready to put on a show’, while Usyk claimed he and Fury would ‘make history’ this weekend in the first undisputed heavyweight bout. been fighting for 25 years.
But that did little to whet the appetite of fans who were critical of the conduct of the press conference.
Tyson Fury barely spoke at his final press conference before his fight with Oleksandr Usyk
Usyk also did not engage in a war of words, which led to criticism from fans
‘What if*** press conference. Both fighters refuse to talk for more than ten seconds,” one fan posted on X.
Another
The press conference – which was held in three parts – got off to a farcical start when promoter Frank Warren’s microphone malfunctioned, leading to Fury encouraging him to use his.
But sound quality proved to be a problem for the rest of the event, causing further irritation among the fans watching.
“All the Saudi money and they can’t even get the sound tech right for the press conference,” one fan claimed.
‘Absolutely impossible to hear anything without a constant beep…’
Fury refused to face Usyk at the end of their timid final press conference
Barely able to get the juices flowing with their words, Fury and Usyk then stepped to the front of the stage for their obligatory showdown, but the Gypsy King refused to look at his opponent.
Instead, he chose to cross his arms and look into the crowd before flexing his muscles, without attracting Usyk’s attention.
Usyk, dressed in an all-white suit, did not appear fazed by Fury’s unusual behavior and did not take his eyes off his rival.
Fans will be hoping for better at the weigh-in on Friday before the two heavyweights settle their differences in the ring on Saturday evening.
