Tyson Fury has to be held back as he squares up to Oleksandr Usyk in their face off after an explosive press conference… after the Gypsy King called the Ukrainian a ‘motherf*****’ and a ‘p**** with an earring’

• After a rescheduling of the intial date, the fight is now confirmed for February 17 
• But Usyk’s promoter Krassyuk remains doubtful of Fury’s participation in Saudi 
• Joshua and Wilder fight on same night – but not each other! Listen to The Hook 

Tyson Fury used his face off with Oleksandr Usyk to give the Ukrainian fighter a taste of what’s to come when they meet in their long-awaited clash in Saudi Arabia. 

The two fighters confirmed the rescheduled date for their grudge match as February 17 next year, with the ‘Ring of Fire’ due to take part in Saudi Arabia’s ‘Riyadh Season’. 

Despite there being over three months to go until the match-up, the Gypsy King was keen to waste no time intimidating his rival when the pair were able to square up to one another after an explosive press conference. 

Fury went into the face off forehead first, bearing down on Usyk, who didn’t flinch at the Morecambe-based fighter’s agression. 

Eventually, however, Fury pushed a step too far, and the pair had to be forcibly separated at the sign of a tussle to come. 

Tyson Fury was full of intimidation tactics as he took part in a face off with Oleksandr Usyk

The Gypsy King beared down on the Ukrainian and the pair pushed one another back and forth until their eventual separation

The lineal heavyweight champions was full of fire and bluster during Thursday’s press meeting

The Briton repeatedly shouted ‘I’m going to knock you out’ over chants of ‘Usyk, Usyk,’ from the Ukrainian’s camp, before calling Usyk ‘a p**** with an earring, like a little girl.’

The heated physical meeting between the two heavyweights had been forewarned by the earlier questions before the press, which saw Fury taking every opportunity to needle an at-times frustratingly cool Usyk. 

In a throwback to his taunts earlier in the afternoon, Fury immediately started calling Usyk a ‘sausage’, and a ‘rabbit’ after taking his place at the table in front of the microphone. 

Fury also dubbed Usyk a ‘cissy with an earring’ and a ‘little man’ – an insult that Fury later took back in the midst of a heated exchange. 

‘Yes, I’m a little man,’ Usyk admitted, before he was interrupted by the 35-year-old appearing to change his mind, instead calling him ‘average size for a heavyweight’ and the ‘perfect size’. 

For his part, Usyk did little to provoke his rival for the undisputed heavyweight title, saying at the start of the press conference: ‘I’ll speak in the ring.’

February’s fight will mark the first time in 24 years that a heavyweight has claimed the title of undisputed world champion, with the last holder Lennox Lewis following his defeat of Evander Holyfield in 1999. 

But for all his talk, Fury was in agreement that talk in the build-up to a fight of this magnitude was just ‘a lot of s***e’. 

By contrast, Usyk opted to cut a more reserved figure, and spoke mostly through the translation of his promoter Alex Krassyuk

The Morecambe-based heavyweight was in high spirits as he hurled insults across the table

‘If he beats me, I shake his hand. If I win, I hope he shakes my hand.’ 

On Wednesday evening, scenes were equally volatile at Wembley, with the announcement of the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card to be hosted on the date of Usyk and Fury’s initial fight, December 23. 

Anthony Joshua, who will fight Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia, clashed with his old foe Jarrell Miller, rising to tauntings over his apparent lack of interest in fighting Deontay Wilder. 

Wilder – who will be taking on Joseph Parker as the night’s co-main event – admitted exclusively to Mail Sport that the British two-time heavyweight champion had turned down a jaw-dropping £40million ($50m) offered to him by Wilder’s camp to make the fight happen.  

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