Tyson Fury gives five-word response on why he refused to look at Oleksandr Usyk in final staredown
Tyson Fury had no interest in following convention by standing and staring back at Oleksandr Usyk on Thursday.
Fury and Usyk were in attendance during a lukewarm final press conference in Riyadh as the heavyweight rivals met with just two days until their huge undisputed world title fight on Saturday night.
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The pair were subdued and respectful on stage, with insults at a minimum in a stark comparison to their opening encounter at a launch press conference last year.
Tyson Fury refuses to face off with Oleksandr Usyk as he shows cold shoulder to rival ahead of fight
And extraordinarily, Fury refused to go face-to-face with his rival in the final face-off showing him the cold shoulder, and acknowledging the crowd in attendance instead.
When asked why he refused to share an intense gaze with Usyk, who did not break his stare once, Fury insisted the time for mind games is over.
He responded: "He's a scary looking dude."
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Fury added: "I'm here to relax now and wait until Saturday night. All the talking is done."
Despite Fury turning his back on his fellow champion, Usyk afforded a wry smile as he himself refused to stop staring in an intriguing battle of the minds.
Initial tensions between the pair have now died down, as their focus switches to business and the opportunity to cement their boxing legacy.
Meanwhile, Fury wasn't his usual talkative self before his awkward snub of his opponent.
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He said: "I'm going to make it short and simple.
"I want to thank god for this victory I've got already. Thank Usyk for turning up and challenging me.
"Thank you to the fans who have come out to support me. God bless. I'm ready. Got nothing to say but I'm ready.
“God bless him and I’ll say a prayer to him that we go out in one piece and back to our families.”
Usyk also had no interest in any pre-fight trash talk, as he declared: “Let's make history. Enough.”
What Is An Undisputed World Champion?
In boxing, an undisputed world champion is someone who wins all of the four major world title belts in their division - WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO.
Fury currently has the WBC while Usyk holds the WBA, IBF and WBO. Therefore, the winner will hold all four belts as undisputed king.
The last man to hold all the belts in the division was Lennox Lewis when he beat Evander Holyfield to add his WBA and IBF titles to the WBC belt before what is now known as the 'four-belt era' with the WBO being recognised from 2004.
Fury and Usyk have the chance to become the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis completed the feat in 1999, which will see their name etched in the history books forever.
The British heavyweight first played down the task at hand, insisting it was the road to a routine win in the squared circle while firing insults at his immovable foe.
But the champion eventually changed his tune as fight week approached, and paid homage to the skillset that Usyk will bring under the lights in Riyadh.
He even went as far as suggesting that the unified division king will be the toughest opponent he has faced during his time in the professional ranks.
“I think he’s the best opponent I’ve ever faced,” Fury told .
“Because I’ve fought world heavyweight champions before, fought undefeated people before.
"I fought an Olympic gold medallist before, but I’ve never fought a two-weight world champion.
“So, I think that puts him on top of it all.”
An even contest is predicted with the boxing world unable to separate the pair, with predictions from experts favouring both fighters.
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It is a seismic event for the sport nonetheless, with the winner set to reach the pinnacle of sport, and be classified as an all-time great.
Fury and Usyk will next step on the scales, before the main event unfolds in Riyadh at around 11pm UK time [1am local time].
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