British boxer Tyson Fury turned the other way, not looking at Oleksandr Usyk when they met before the match to unify the four most prestigious heavyweight belts on May 18.
During the meeting in Riyadh on the evening of May 16, Fury looked straight and made many poses in front of the media, but did not do the traditional face-to-face pose with Usyk. The Ukrainian boxer kept a cold look at his opponent for a few minutes, then took the mandatory photos while raising his fist and flexing his biceps.
On social networks, many fans said that this move was a sign of fear, not a psychological blow from Fury. “Fury has lost,” one person wrote. “Fury was tense, scared and didn’t dare look at Usyk’s face,” another person commented.
Afterwards, the two boxers attended the press conference without any tense war of words. “Usyk has a scary look,” Fury replied half-jokingly, when asked why he didn’t look his opponent in the face. “I’m just here to relax and wait to get into the ring. All the talks are done, all the interviews are done. I’m really relaxed and focused.”
“I’m very excited. Let’s make history,” Usyk said. Then Fury replied: “I’ll keep it short and sweet. I want to thank Usyk for challenging me. I want to put on a good performance. There’s nothing to say, other than I’m ready for the win.” Whether it’s difficult or easy, I’m ready.”
When asked about his final message, Usyk said: “Let your hands do the talking in the ring.”
Carl Frampton, a former two-weight world champion, downplayed Fury’s refusal to face him and said that the British puncher is very serious, focused and ready for the match to unify the four most prestigious heavyweight belts.
Tyson Fury trained in Riyadh on May 15, preparing for the match with Oleksandr Usyk to unify four heavyweight boxing belts on May 17. Photo: AFP
“I like it. I don’t think there’s much more that needs to be said. They’re both very confident and know it’s going to be a tough fight,” Frampton told Sky Sports. “I don’t believe that pre-match things, like who looks at their opponent’s face the longest or the match that unifies the four most prestigious heavyweight belts, will determine the outcome. I think victory is only decided on the night of the fight “.
Fury currently holds the WBC heavyweight title, while Usyk holds the WBA, IBF and WBO titles. If he wins the match on May 18, the winning boxer will become the first absolute heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999 and the first to do so in the four-belt era.
In February 2020, Fury won by knockout to win the WBC title from Deontay Wilder, then knocked out his opponent in the rematch in 2021. After that, he had two consecutive technical knockout victories against Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora to defend the title.
Meanwhile, Usyk surprised when he had two consecutive victories over Anthony Joshua to win the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO titles. In August 2023, Ukrainian boxer knocked out Daniel Dubois in round nine to defend these belts.
Initially, Fury and Usyk signed an agreement with the first heavyweight title unification fight taking place in December 2023 with a rematch clause in 2024. This fight was rescheduled to February 17, 2024 because Fury was injured after fighting former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. But the fight continued to be postponed when Fury injured his eye and was postponed to May 18.
According to British media, Fury will pocket about 150 million USD with a higher profit sharing ratio of the match. Usyk earned about 65 million USD – lower than what he received in Joshua’s 2022 rematch of 75 million USD.
