Fury vs Usyk 2: Boxing title bout pair pulled away in 11-minute showdown | Boxing news

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk had to be kept apart after an 11-minute standoff ahead of their title fight.

Heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk and his rival Tyson Fury were forced to separate from each other after a confrontation that lasted more than 11 minutes in a pre-fight press conference. Their title fight is on Saturday In Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The pair held this position for 11 minutes and 20 seconds before breaking up, with Fury (36 years old) shouting tauntingly at Usyk (37 years old), who eventually walked away with his arms raised high as if in victory.

Only towards the end of the encounter in Riyadh, in which World Boxing Council (WBC) president Mauricio Sulaiman intervened to try to break up the pair, did things get heated, with Usyk coolly standing in place while Fury became increasingly animated in an attempt. It was made to drag him away.

Ukrainian fighter Usyk defeated Fury, who was born in Manchester, United Kingdom. In a split points decision in May To unify the heavyweight belts. But the latter immediately raised stipulations in the fight, allowing a rematch.

“Now we just have a show with lights and cameras. Everything will happen on Saturday,” Usyk calmly told reporters even before the usual face-to-face confrontation between the pair on stage.

In keeping with the tone of the event, with things yet to come, Fury said he would “give a lot of pain” into Riyadh’s Kingdom Square on Saturday night.

He added: “I have nothing to say, except that there will be a lot of hurt and pain in this battle, as you can see.”

“That’s all I have to say. It’s been talked about. The first fight I talked about, I joked — my whole career — this time, I’m serious. I’m going to do some serious damage. Watch me go to work.”

Usyk’s coach, Sergei Lapin, was as succinct as his fighter in response: “This Saturday we will have a fight between two great champions where one of them will prove that he is the stronger man.”

Usyk has been the more measured of the pair throughout the lead-up to the fight, with Fury seemingly wanting to turn up the temperature.

The Ukrainian boxer, who relinquished the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title to mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois immediately after unifying the belts, was adjudged the winner 115-112 and 114-113 by two judges in the pair’s previous meeting, while Fury was awarded the title shot. Gesture 114-113 by one third.

“The first fight was fantastic; it was a very close fight,” Fury’s promoter Frank Warren said. “This time I know these guys, who have been in the ring for 12 rounds, it will be about who can exploit weaknesses.

“I think Tyson Fury will overcome this and I think he won’t go the distance. Tyson is in great shape and we’ll be attending an extra special event.

The pair will face off again at the weigh-in on Friday ahead of the long-awaited fight.