The role of a press conference has been distorted so much in recent years it is hard to even know what one’s purpose is anymore or indeed what one is supposed to actually represent.
Today, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk went through the motions of a press conference yet both clearly wanted to be elsewhere. As a result, they said very little, even by the usual standards of a modern-day press gathering, and were instead content to take a back seat and allow their promoters and the various undercard fighters to do the talking on their behalf.
Fury, the challenger, set the tone early when he said, “I’ve got nothing to say, apart from that there’s going to be a whole lot of hurt and pain in this fight. You watch.
“That’s all I’ve got to say. The talking’s been done.”
Usyk then followed with the customary thankyous which have become the soundtrack of these events in Riyadh, and after that it was the turn of the teams and the undercard fighters to essentially fill the silence.
When eventually the spotlight was tilted back towards them, Fury, through gritted teeth, said, “I can’t wait for Saturday night. Thank you everybody involved. God bless.” Usyk, meanwhile, added: “Don’t be afraid. I will not leave you alone. See you on Saturday.”
Were it any other fight, we may have accused them of not doing their bit to sell it, or somehow sucking the life out of it when the aim was to do the opposite. However, in the case of Usyk vs. Fury II, there is really no extra selling required, nor is there anything to say that hasn’t already been said.
We should in the end just be thankful they were both present – seemingly fit, and seemingly healthy.