What a difference a couple of hours makes.
The press tour for Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury is underway and the first day was a memorable one.
The behaviour of both undefeated fighters was impeccable when they appeared on Good Morning Britain to start the day off but the bad blood showed when Fury and Wilder sat for their first pre-fight press conference.
Much has been made of Wilder’s power ahead of the defence of his WBC heavyweight title on December 1 and Fury wanted to get a sample of it when they went head-to-head in London.
Fury, who has returned to the pinnacle of the heavyweight division after almost three years out of the ring, requested a body spar at BT Tower and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ was up for it.
Wilder shoved Fury away after he got in his face before the cooler heads of Frank Warren, Shelley Finkel and Lou DiBella prevailed but it took some effort to convince the behemoths to return to their seats.
“Tell me about this punching power. 39 knockouts! I want to know about it. Can we have a little spar now?” Fury said as he stood up.
😲 THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY 😲@Tyson_Fury wants to feel @BronzeBomber's power, is shoved and the bouncers have to step in between them.
⚠️ Contains strong language#WilderFury pic.twitter.com/vES4CkXK5o
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) October 1, 2018
“Let’s have a little tickle, come on. Let me feel this power from the Alabama slammer!
“Let’s have a body spar. I want to feel it!”
Wilder then got to his feet and didn’t appreciate it when Fury got too close.
“Your wife pushes harder than that, you little bitch!” Fury shouted.
“That was nothing. That’s pathetic! I want to feel the power.”
Fury then removed his jacket and almost begged to be hit by his opponent but security eventually intervened.
With several more stops left on the press tour, who knows what to expect next?
