11 minutes and 20 seconds.
For so long, the giants fighting for the men’s heavyweight world championship looked into each other’s eyes, according to the British press.
An Englishman Tyson Fury’s and Ukrainian Oleksandr Usykin a special moment emerged from the staring contest on Thursday at the press conference of the world championship match.
The staring moment that often precedes boxing matches progressed into more than ten minutes of pouting, which confused everyone.
– Would I look away? Never, Usyk said according to various media when leaving the event.
The Ukrainian can also afford to bloat. Last May, Usyk became the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world in boxing in over 25 years when he just beat Fury in a world championship match.
Usyk currently holds the championship belts of four different boxing federations, which is a historic achievement in the modern boxing era.
Fury, one of the greatest of his era, wants to take that achievement on Saturday.
A lot has been charged into the ring when “Ugly Rabbit” and “Greedy Chubby” face each other with nicknames given by each other.
This is how Fury and Usyk said their match at Thursday’s press conference, watch the video below.
Three months apart from his wife
“Ugly hare” is in the eyes of Usyk Fury, while the Briton is “Greedy chubby” in the eyes of the Ukrainian.
The taunts are just part of the spectacle of the World Cup match. Both boxers have been constantly adding rounds in the media hurricane surrounding the world title fight.
In terms of sportsmanship, Fury has the most to show, who was defeated by Usyk in May by a unanimous vote of the judges. It was his first loss in his long professional career.
– I believe that he will go into this match very hungry. He wants revenge, the Finnish boxing all-rounder Petteri Jeskanen characterized Fury’s starting points on Radio Suomen Urheiluilla.
Listen to Jeskanen’s full preview of the World Cup title match in the audio embed below.
A win would certainly make Fury the greatest boxer of his generation, but a loss would make him the underdog.
The multiple world champion nicknamed “The Gypsy King” is on the move with a revenge mentality and has made extraordinary decisions while preparing.
Fury took his training camp to Malta for three months in the small town of Mellieha, far from his home town of Morecambe.
His wife Paris has not seen her husband face to face at all during that time.
According to his training opponents, the sparring and preparation for the second match against Usyk have been in a different category compared to the first match.
The starting points are also easier, because in the spring Fury injured the corner of his eye so badly that he had to start his training for the match three months later than expected.
“The Ukrainians are hitting hard!”
– He is currently the hero of all of Ukraine.
Petteri Jeskanen’s description of 37-year-old Usyk in Urheiluilla is strictly correct.
– The Ukrainians are hitting hard! And in the end, all our opponents will fall, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi declared on social media after Usyk’s first victory.
Usyk, who carried the Ukrainian flag before the match and after his victory, is an icon in his home country.
Fury, on the other hand, turned this setup into one of the reasons for his loss in May. In his opinion, people favor the Ukrainian because of the Russian war of aggression.
Zelenskyi again put water in the mill before the match.
– We respect our partners. And so when you beat Fury, don’t hit him too hard because we don’t want them to deny the Storm Shadows, the president commented on his Telegram account, referring to the Franco-British Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
Is Usyk the early favorite?
In Jeskanen’s opinion, Usyk, who has already had an incredible career, is a great early favorite before the second match.
– This is a very even pair, and I’ve worked a lot on this setup myself. I lean slightly towards Usyk beforehand. Anything can happen in the match, but I consider him the early favorite based on his style of match and his previous matches.
The left-handed Usyk turned the match in May with almost one strike. Fury, who was on top of his neck at the beginning, almost fell to the canvas in the ninth round after a straight left hand from Usyk. After this, the match was for the Ukrainian.
Jeskanen also wonders how much the previous matches have consumed the 36-year-old Fury.
– He fought three times Deontay Wilder against and two of them were pretty good fights. He went all the way to the floor in them and has taken some pretty hard blows in his matches. In a way, I consider Usyk a bit fresher, even though he is a year older than Fury.
Twisting about the beard and the judge
So how does Fury, looking for revenge, go into the match?
– That interests me in particular. The weight at which he comes to the scales on Friday has a lot to do with it. It tells a little whether he will start the fight in the same way as, for example, in his Wilder rematch. That’s when he forced him onto the back foot with his big size, Jeskanen reminds.
This was answered on Friday. The 206-centimeter Fury starts the match heavier (about 125 kilograms). The smaller (191-centimeter, about 102 kilograms) Usyk tries to respond to this with better movement.
– I think Usyk will go to the fight in the same way as in the spring: he is in good shape and works a lot in the ring. He is incredibly skilled and he moves his upper body very well, Jeskanen estimates.
Even in the last moments, new twists have been added to the match. Fury and Usyk’s camps are arguing about two things before the fight: the beard and the choice of referee.
Fury has grown a thick beard on his chin before the match. In boxing, facial hair also has certain dimensions for match weeks. For example, a sharp stubble can make the wounds on the opponent’s face bigger when biting.
See how the men looked at Friday night’s weigh-in in the video below.
At Friday’s rules meeting, Fury’s beard was lined up as legal, but Usyk’s camp has reportedly challenged this. According to various media, the Ukrainians appeal to the rules of the WBC union, which instruct that the beard may not act as a cushion for blows.
The selection of judges is also telling. Fury’s and Usyk’s groups are having a heated debate over who will replace the sick referee Fernando Barbosa. One of the contestants’ camps is in favor of substitute judges Steve Weisfeld and another Ignacio Robles.
If no agreement can be reached, the promoter Frank Warren has suggested a coin toss in the selection.