Oleksandr Usyk revealed he defused what could have been an ugly brawl ahead of Saturday’s undisputed title fight with Tyson Fury.
On Monday, John Fury, the father of the WBC heavyweight champion, was at the centre of a fracas with members of Usyk’s team.
Footage appeared to show John Fury lashing out with his head towards Stanislav Stepchuk. John Fury was later pictured with blood coming from a head wound.
Usyk described how he prevented his team from escalating the confrontation further.
“I said, ‘Hey, Team Usyk back. Step back, please’. Listen my team is very good if you want to fight, not boxing, street, shooting, knives, wrestling. But I said: ‘Hey, hey guys, please back’. We must do good behaviour,” Usyk said.
“My friend [Stepchuk], is a powerful guy. A street guy. Did you see the video, he was like a pitbull. I said ‘Stop!’ Okay, [they did].”
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Fury and Usyk look ahead to their heavyweight champion clash on Saturday night and share what a victory will mean to both of them
Speaking later to Sky Sports, Usyk added: “Everything is okay. My team is a great team. I said: ‘Please not to fight’. My team stepped back.
“The problem is John Fury. It’s bad behaviour. It’s my opinion: bad behaviour.
“I don’t know [if John Fury has apologised]. Listen, it doesn’t matter. For me and for my team, it doesn’t matter.”
Usyk insisted it will be no distraction ahead of Saturday’s heavyweight championship clash.
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Warning: video includes graphic image. Tyson Fury’s father John gives his perspective of the clash between himself and Oleksandr Usyk’s camp in Riyadh
“Listen, we are professional athletes, we’re not street fighters. It’s a big event for our people, for the UK and Ukraine,” he said.
“If you want a situation like to destabilise my team, it’s not possible. Because it’s not only professional sportsmen. It’s professional soldiers, it’s professional sportsmen, it’s professional people.
“This situation for me doesn’t matter, it’s only motivation for my team.”
It’s one of the biggest sporting events in a generation. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk collide for the undisputed world heavyweight championship on Saturday May 18, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book the fight now.