Tyson Fury had no desire to look at Oleksandr Usyk as the heavyweights faced off for the first time during fight week in Saudi Arabia.
Following the conclusion of the pre-fight press conference, Usyk stepped towards Fury with an icy stare as he glared at his opponent on Saturday night. In return, Fury just kept facing forward without ever locking eyes with Usyk.
The uncomfortably long staredown continued with the commentators just waiting for Fury to finally turn to face Usyk but it never happened.
Instead, Fury smiled, flexed, posed and even took his hat off at one point while mouthing the words to the song Hearts on Fire from the Rocky IV soundtrack that was blaring through the arena but he never even glanced Usyk’s direction.
That didn’t stop the undefeated Russian from staring a hole through Fury as he kept his eyes locked on the British born heavyweight. Usyk eventually faced towards the crowd and gave Fury one last look before he just turned and left the stage.
Addressing the faceoff afterward, Fury explained why he didn’t even glance at Usyk.
“He’s a scary-looking dude,” Fury said.
Given the way this faceoff unfolded, it will be interesting to see if Fury does something different at the official weigh-ins or if perhaps refusing to acknowledge Usyk is all part of his plan before they meet in the ring on Saturday night.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
