Tyson Fury has a tense face-off with Oleksandr Usyk after respectful press conference in Saudi Arabia
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 17/05/2024 at 07:26 GMT
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk were very respectful of each other in their final pre-fight press conference ahead of their undisputed heavyweight title bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday night - live on TNT Sports Box Office. However, the pair did engage in a tense face-off on stage. TNT Sports' Carl Frampton said: "Usyk's eyes are burning through the side of Tyson Fury's head."
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk
Image credit: Getty Images
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk were both in calm moods during their final press conference ahead of their undisputed heavyweight title clash on Saturday night, live on TNT Sports Box Office.
However, once the press conference had concluded, Fury refused to look into the eyes of Usyk at the head-to-head.
TNT Sports' Richie Woodhall believes Fury was "not having any" of Usyk's mind games.
"They're both very experienced and seen it all before," he said.
"So if anything, if you can burn off nervous energy with a face-off to your opponent a couple of days beforehand...
"Look at Usyk, his eyes are transfixed, but Tyson is not having any of it and has seen it all before. He is just waiting for that bell to ring now."
Carl Frampton believes Usyk was trying to provoke Fury ahead of their meeting in the ring on Saturday.
"Usyk's eyes are burning through the side of Fury's head, it's really interesting," Frampton said. "He's trying to get a reaction from Fury and he's getting nothing."
Woodhall added: "He does seem relaxed and if anything, Usyk is trying to look into the eyes of Fury and get anything out of him.
"But he didn't look at him, so he can't get anything. The eyes tell you everything, and Fury didn't give anything away there."
Fury and Usyk both gave brief answers in a respectful press conference.
Fury said that he is "ready" for the challenge of Usyk.
"I'm going to make this short and simple," he said. "I want to thank god for the victory that I've received already.
"I want to thank everybody involved in putting this massive event on. I want to thank Usyk for challenging.
"Thanks to all the fans that travelled over to support me. I know it's tough times at the moment and times are hard so I want to put on a show. Thank you very much.
"I'm ready, I've got nothing to say apart from I'm ready for a good fight. If it's tough or easy, either way I'll be ready."
Usyk said he is excited about the opportunity to "make history" in Saudi Arabia.
He said: "Hi everybody, I'm happy to be here. I'm excited.
"Let's make history. Enough. Thank you so much."
After the press conference concluded, Fury told TNT Sports that he is feeling "really relaxed" ahead of the biggest fight of his career.
"He's [Usyk] a scary-looking dude," he said.
"I'm just here to relax now and wait until I get in the ring on Saturday night. All the talking and interviews are done.
"I'm just really relaxed and focused."
How to watch Fury v Usyk in the UK
Fury v Usyk on TNT Sports Box Office costs £24.99 in the UK and can be watched on discovery+, EE TV, Virgin Media TV and Prime Video.
You do not need to be a TNT Sports subscriber to buy this event.
discovery+ - TNT Sports Box Office events are now available to purchase and watch in the discovery+ app – on smart TV’s, computer or mobile device, viewers wanting to watch the fight should visit https://www.discoveryplus.com/gb/ppv-purchases and follow instructions to subscribe and then purchase the event.
Virgin Media TV - Customers with a TiVo and/or V6 set-top-box should visit the On-Demand section and choose Live Events; customers with a Virgin TV 360 and/or Stream set-top-box should go to the Pay Per View events rail.
EE TV - Customers can purchase the event via their STB on channel 494.
Prime Video - This TNT Sports Box Office event will now be available to buy and watch on Prime Video in the UK. Customers do not need to have any channel or Prime subscription to access. You can find live and upcoming PPV events in the “Live and upcoming events” row on the Prime Video homepage and sports page, or by searching for a specific event title.
What time will Fury v Usyk start and when are ring walks?
Fury and Usyk will meet in Riyadh on Saturday, May 18.
The live coverage of the event will start at 14:30 UK time on TNT Sports Box Office with a stacked undercard ahead of the headline fight.
The ring walk for Fury v Usyk is expected to be around 23:00 UK time.
Live coverage details
TNT Sports Box Office coverage will be presented by Laura Woods alongside Carl Frampton, David Haye and Steve Bunce with commentary from Darren Fletcher and Richie Woodall.
Three early bouts will also be broadcast, available for anyone to watch, on TNT Sports 3 and TNT Sports Box Office.
The Weigh In will also be broadcast on TNT Sports 1 and YouTube on Friday, May 17 at 18:45 UK time, and will feature insight from the last undisputed heavyweight world champion, Lennox Lewis.
TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement