Usyk, Fury engage in 12-minute staredown

Usyk, Fury engage in 12-minute staredown

... Ahead of heavyweight rematch

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury engage in 12-minute staredown ahead of heavyweight rematch.

If it wasn't obvious that the intensity between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury has been ramped up, Thursday's pre-fight press conference ended any doubt.

The heavyweight fighters will square off Saturday in Riyadh for their rematch after Usyk won the first meeting between the pair back in May, ending Fury's reign as WBC and lineal world champion and becoming the first undisputed ruler of the division in a generation.

Fury was his usual talkative self in the lead-up to the first fight, engaging in banter and antics familiar to boxing fans the world over.

However, the defeat appears to have changed his pre-fight strategy as the Briton has been a man of few words so far this week, with Fury doing the bare minimum in terms of media appearances and letting Usyk claim the spotlight.

With the men together on stage for the first time this week, Fury stuck to his stoic gameplan and offered little in his opening remarks, only stating that he's "going to dish out a whole lot of pain" and "put this f—r in a hurt locker" when they step into the ring on Saturday.

The "Gypsy King" then followed that up with an intense staredown of the champion when the fighters were brought together for the traditional face off, with Usyk responding in kind.

What followed was one of the most intense staredowns in boxing history as neither man flinched for several minutes, prompting WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman to be the first to try to separate the combatants from their positions opposite one another.

Sulaiman was eventually joined by members of both fighters' entourages and security staff as Usyk and Fury continued to be locked in their psychological battle, but it took until nearly the 10-minute mark before either man even spoke.

The verbal sparring intensified for a short period before the men were separated, with Fury then joining in on a traditional dance that was underway among a large group of local performers.