[jwplayer Fw1SyvI2]
The lead up to the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury heavyweight rematch had been tame … until Wednesday.
Wilder and Fury, meeting on stage at the final news conference before they fight Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, immediately stood nose to nose after they were introduced to the crowd on hand as host Joe Tessitore waited to ask them questions.
They had talked trash with their faces inches apart — if that — for several minutes when Fury bumped Wilder with his body and pushed him back bit. Wilder responded by shoving Fury backward, after which Fury responded in kind.
At that point, members of the fighters’ teams and security personnel jumped between them to prevent further contact as they continued to say with great conviction what they planned to do to each other on Saturday.
Was it genuine? Was it staged to sell the fight? The news conference was shown live on ESPN2, after all.
The only thing we know: It was dramatic.