Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder press conference degenerates into a farce

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder traded insults at their pre-fight press conference before an unlikely target became the victim of a cruel attack.

Host Kate Abdo came under attack. Photo: Getty Images.

Tyson Fury hit out at Deontay Wilder as the boxers faced off at their pre-fight press conference ahead of Sunday’s (AEDT) heavyweight showdown.

The pair are finally meeting in the ring for their trilogy fight after Covid complications caused their bout, which was originally scheduled for earlier in the year, to be postponed.

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Their first meeting ended in a split decision draw back in 2018 and last year Fury won via KO in the seventh round — but Wilder has come up with a range of excuses for that result, including claiming the elaborate suit he wore into the ring on that occasion was too heavy and sapped his energy.

The Bronze Bomber also accused Fury of cheating and took aim at his own coach — but the Gypsy King plans to do his talking in the ring this weekend, calling Wilder an “unwell person”.

“He accused me of everything, he accused his team, his trainer, the suit, injuries … the referee,” Fury said on Thursday.

“Maybe if he had come out with one of these excuses then it would have been believable, but not 50 of them.

“He can believe what he wants. What it tells me is he’s a weak, mental little person who I’m gonna knock out.

“I absolutely obliterated him in the second fight. I hope you’ve got your excuse book ready.”

Fury got the better of Wilder last time around. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images North America /AFP)

Wilder, who wore headphones throughout the presser and at times appeared more interesting in texting than listening to whatever Fury had to say, is quietly confident he will get his revenge.

“I’m in a great state of mind. It’s nothing to prove at all. This right here is retaliation and retribution,” Wilder said.

“I’m ready to reintroduce myself to the world.

“When you have nothing to lose, there’s no pressure at all. All the pressure is on him.

“There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

The American also refused to back down from his cheating allegations.

“I don’t regret it,” Wilder said.

“I go to my grave believing what I believe in. We can believe what we want. But the eyes don’t lie. It made me even hungrier than before.”

‘F*** her’: Presser goes off the rails as moderator targeted

Things started civil enough — or as civil as boxing can be, when fighters trade standard pre-bout insults — but the press conference degenerated into a mess when Fury and Wilder were asked if they had any final words.

A petty back-and-forth continued as both men continued to speak over each other. Like children bickering in the schoolyard, it didn’t exactly do wonders for either fighter’s reputation.

Moderator Kate Abdo tried to get the duo to quieten down for long enough to face off, but was fighting a losing battle.

Veteran promoter Bob Arum jumped out of his seat and yelled “No! No! No!” to end any thoughts of a face-off.

Fury continued to spout insults as he and Wilder headed their separate ways off the stage.

Veteran boxing journalist Dan Rafael tweeted: “Presser was going well and now it has degenerated into a mess.”

The final exchange between Fury and Wilder ahead of #FuryWilder3. Presented without comment. pic.twitter.com/dAB4BFYtbn

— Sam Gordon (@BySamGordon) October 6, 2021

Arum blasted Abdo after the event, claiming the highly-respected British broadcaster was biased towards Wilder.

“They bring this woman in from the UK and she’s slanting all the press conference to Wilder,” Arum said. “I don’t give a damn but it’s obvious that’s what she was doing.

“She knew that the understanding was no face-off … we said no face-off, and what does she say? ‘Now we’re going to do a face-off’.

“F*** her and f*** them. There was no face-off and we saved the fight.”

However, many on social media disagreed with Arum and praised Abdo for how she handled the situation.

Kate Abdo came under fire. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Abdo later responded to Arum’s criticism, saying she was disappointed to be “disrespected by someone I respect” and explaining the broadcaster had been told to do a face-off

“With regards to the face-off — I was doing what we the broadcaster believed was agreed upon,” she tweeted.

“But I think that’s kind of unimportant now.

“I have nothing but respect for Bob Arum and the empire he has created. I understand what he means to boxing and what this sport owes him.

“I think the language in this interview was entirely inappropriate.

“Of course it’s disappointing to be disrespected by someone I respect. But that’s life, not everyone will give you the courtesy you deserve.”