During the first fight week event in Riyadh, chaos ensued when John Fury, Tyson’s father, engaged in a physical altercation with a member of Oleksandr Usyk’s team, resulting in a bloodied face for John.
On Monday, both Fury and Usyk were busy giving interviews at the fight hotel in the Saudi capital, preparing for their highly anticipated showdown at the Kingdom Arena on Saturday night.
However, the situation took a turn for the worse when Fury Sr and a member of Usyk’s team engaged in a heated confrontation amidst a crowded room. Subsequently, video footage seems to capture John Fury’s head colliding with another individual from the Ukrainian team, later identified as Stanislav Stepchuk, resulting in a cut on the 59-year-old’s head.
John Fury just HEADBUTTED one of Oleksandr Usyk’s team pic.twitter.com/QbpwBmi8aj
— Mail Sport (@MailSport) May 13, 2024
However, his son Tyson, the reigning world heavyweight champion, was not present at the time of the incident. After the incident, Tyson left an interview and upon seeing his father, he exclaimed, “What on earth happened to your head, you foolish person?”
As members of Usyk’s team chanted the fighter’s name towards team Fury, the hotel’s spacious room quickly filled up with members from both teams and cameras.
Afterwards, Fury Jr engaged in a roundtable interview with the British media and was questioned about his viewpoint on the situation. However, the unbeaten heavyweight confidently asserted that the incident did not divert his focus.
“I didn’t witness anything,” he explained. “While I was occupied conducting interviews for Sky Sports in the room, my main focus is completing the task at hand and returning home to rest. It doesn’t serve as a distraction.”
“I’ve witnessed far worse than a mere cut on the head, but they continue to do what they do.”
John Fury explained the altercation and apologised for his actions. Speaking later to Boxing News he said: “Emotions are running high, men step to one another, and that’s what happens. It’s testosterone, isn’t it? And I’m full of it, from my boots to the top of my head.
“At the end of the day, if there’s a fight going, I’m there first. We live for it. Let me tell you, when you’re in John Fury’s face, and you’re not ready to have a go and give it your best shot, I’m going to be all over you. You’ve just seen that. I don’t care.”
