Tyson Fury‘s father, John Fury, has revealed he launched a headbutt at a member of Oleksandr Usyk‘s entourage after he entered his ‘space’ and disrespected his son.
Tempers flared after the two teams crossed paths in the lobby of the Riyadh Hilton Hotel in Saudi Arabia, leading to a violent confrontation that overshadowed the pre-fight media day ahead of Saturday’s undisputed world heavyweight title fight.
Footage that quickly circulated on social media showed Fury Snr lashing out with his head towards Stanislav Stepchuk, who was wearing Usyk’s team tracksuit.
Fury Snr had to be restrained after security stepped in to prevent any further confrontation and was pictured with blood pouring from a wound on his forehead.
He had become embroiled after members of Usyk’s camp repeatedly roared their man’s name at Fury’s entourage. The rest of the angry crowd showed restraint.
John Fury has revealed why he headbutted a member of Oleksandr Usyk’s entourage
Video footage caught a clash of heads between the two before blood poured down Fury’s head
‘I was sat there minding my own business,’ he told IFLTV, wearing a cap that covered up the mark on his head. ‘All I could hear was, “Usyk, Usyk, Usyk”.
‘I’m going to stand up for my son. At the end of the day, my son is the best in the world and I want people to respect him and give him the credit that he deserves.
‘He’s the best in the world. And when people start saying this and saying that… when I was among them, all I could hear was madness. Some little idiot came forward in my space, he got what he got and that’s the end of it.’
He had walked away from the fracas screaming: ‘We live for blood and guts.’
Fury Snr did issue an apology, however, telling Seconds Out: ‘Sincere apologies to everyone involved. It’s just the way we are. Emotions and tensions are running high.
Fury Snr apologised for the incident but insisted he had been provoked into the headbutt
Tyson Fury missed the fracas after conducting media interviews in another room at the hotel
‘He was a very disrespectful fella. If you come close in a fighting man’s space, you’re gonna cop for something. What matters to me is respect for my son and he wasn’t showing any of it. He mentioned my son and that was it, so he had to have it.
‘It doesn’t bother me [bleeding], it’s what we live for, we’re fighting people.’
Tyson Fury missed the incident after speaking to the media in a side room.
‘I didn’t see anything, I was in the room doing interviews. But I’m not here for all that, I’m here to get the job done and go home and rest,’ the heavyweight said.
According to Sky Sports, Saudi Arabian authorities have said no charges are being pressed and that no further action will be taken at this stage.
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