Neither Tyson Fury nor Oleksandr Usyk would back down from their face-off on Thursday, as they stared each other down for a remarkable 12 minutes after their press conference.

Neither boxer had much to say at Thursday’s press conference for their rematch, but Fury did warn Usyk: “I’m gonna dish out a whole lot of pain. I’m gonna put this f***er in the hurt locker for sure.

“I’ve got nothing to say apart from there’s gonna be a whole lot of hurt and pain in this fight – you watch. The first fight I talked, I joked – my whole career [I did that].”

The fighters then engaged in a 12-minute long face-off, with both men refusing to back away.

At the seven-minute mark, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman tried to separate the boxers, to no avail. After nine minutes had passed, Fury and Usyk began trading words, though there was no mic to convey what was said.

Fury, 36, did most of the talking, however, before he and his 37-year-old rival finally went their separate ways at the 12-minute mark.

The heavyweight rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk this weekend will feature scoring from a fourth ‘judge’ powered by artificial intelligence.

Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, announced the implementation of the AI judge in a post on X, adding that it is an “experiment” which “won’t impact the official results”.

“For the first time ever, an AI-powered judge will monitor the fight”, said the post. “Free from bias and human error brought to you by The Ring. This groundbreaking experiment, which won’t impact the official results, debuts during the biggest fight of the century.”

Tyson Fury has revealed the sacrifices he’s made in his efforts to win his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk.

The former heavyweight world champion bids to win the WBC, WBO and WBA titles in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday after dropping a split decision in May this year for his first professional loss of his career.

But Fury has now detailed the lengths he has gone in an attempt to beat the Ukrainian this time, even claiming to have gone on 14 runs and performed 14 strength sessions on a two-week holiday earlier this year.

While ‘The Gypsy King’ has also been away from his family and cut off communication entirely to focus on the rematch.

“I’ve not spoken to Paris for three months,” Fury told TNT Sports. “Not a word, not spoke to anyone, not been on my phone, I’ve been away from it all. I just wanted to give myself the best opportunity I can.

“I don’t want to keep dividing modes from beast mode, to Dad mode, wife mode, I’ve not spoken to anybody on the phone, that’s it. I’ve just been in the camp the whole time.”

During the workout, Tyson Fury did, however, mouth the words “hurt” and “damage” repeatedly.

“It was a little workout,” Steward laughed. “We gave it our best. Tyson Fury is just ready right now, along with myself. He’s always had like a silly demeanour and [been] playing around, but this is a different side of him. He’s just ready, 100 per cent ready.”

Fury was followed in the ring by Oleksandr Usyk, who shadow boxed and danced while a band outside the ring played a song that seemed to include the lyrics “Oleksandr Usyk”.

Usyk, 37, was asked about Fury’s strange workout and simply replied: “Okay.”

The unbeaten Ukrainian defends the unified heavyweight titles on Saturday, having vacated the IBF belt in spring.

Tyson Fury donned his gloves but threw zero punches at the open workout for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, before Sugarhill Steward confirmed the Briton’s corner team for the fight.

In May, Usyk beat Fury via split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years. That result in Riyadh marked a first professional loss for Fury, whose corner team came under criticism for their work.

Fury, 36, was coached by head trainer Sugarhill Steward, Andy Lee, and his father John Fury – with many fans and pundits declaring that there were too many voices in the Briton’s corner.

On Wednesday (18 December), however, Steward said John Fury will be absent from the corner for Saturday’s rematch in Riyadh. Tyson’s corner will reportedly consist of Lee, Steward and a cutman.

Steward made that revelation in Riyadh after an open workout in which he laced up Fury’s gloves, only for the former heavyweight champion to throw zero punches and, effectively, opt against working out at all.

Tyson Fury’s promoter Frank Warren has reportedly suggested that a coin toss should settle the issue, but the commission must find a way to resolve the matter.

In the first contest between Oleksandr Usyk, 37, and Fury, 36, the Ukrainian earned scorecards of 115-112 (judge Manuel Oliver Palomo) and 114-113 (Mike Fitzgerald), while the Briton snatched the other card (114-113, Craig Metcalfe).

The Independent scored the bout 115-112 to Usyk, and most observers agreed that the former cruiserweight king was a rightful winner. Yet Fury accused the judges of favouring Usyk due to Ukraine’s ongoing invasion by Russia.

Saturday’s rematch will also feature an AI judge, according to Saudi adviser Turki Al-Sheikh, though they will not impact the official scoring.

There will be a late change to the judging panel for Tyson Fury’s rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, with one judge withdrawing due to illness – a matter that has led to a dispute between the fighters’ camps.

Fury will fight Usyk in Riyadh, seven months after losing to the Ukrainian via split decision. Usyk’s victory kept him unbeaten and crowned him the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years, while Fury suffered defeat for the first time.

Their rematch, for the unified titles, is set to be scored by US judge Pat Morley and Puerto Rico’s Gerardo Martinez, who were set to be joined by Fernando Barbosa. But Barbosa withdrew due to illness late on Thursday, before he could fly to Riyadh.

Anthony Joshua has made his prediction for Saturday’s rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, declaring that the winner will “edge” the bout.

Fury will challenge Usyk for the unified heavyweight titles on Saturday, seven months after losing their undisputed showdown on points.

Ahead of their second clash in Riyadh, many voices in boxing have made their predictions – and shown how divided those in the sport are – with “AJ” among them.

The Briton, 35, lost to Usyk on points in 2021 and 2022, and he has long been linked to a fight with compatriot Fury, 36.

“I think it’s going to be a tough fight early on, and then I feel like Usyk will edge it again,” Joshua said, via the Mirror.

Oleksandr Usyk’s promoter Alex Krassyuk told The Independent: “Beard rule is grossly violated, so Tyson’s beard has to be trimmed. We will push it further.”

Krassyuk also highlighted the WBC’s rules, specifically: “A boxer may [sport] a trimmed beard and/or moustache as long as, [at] the discretion of the commission and the supervisor, the facial hair thickness does not: (1) cushion or in any way affect the impact or trajectory of punches; or (2) cause cuts or abrasions to his rival.”

Fury, 36, has alternated between being clean shaven and sporting a beard in recent years. In his first fight with Usyk, 37, he was clean shaven, while he had a shorter beard against Francis Ngannou last October.

Arguably his thickest beard to date was on display during his trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder in 2021, when the Briton stopped his rival for the second time in three fights – after they initially drew in 2018.

The third judge for Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s heavyweight championship rematch has been confirmed, with a coin toss settling the dispute between rival camps ahead of tonight’s showdown in Saudi Arabia.

Fernando Barbosa had been set to score the bout in Riyadh, but he withdrew due to illness late on Thursday before he could fly to Saudi Arabia.

Fury and Usyk’s teams were split on which judge should replace Barbosa and Fury’s promoter Frank Warren reportedly suggested that a coin toss should settle the issue.

But it has now been confirmed that Ignacio Robles will join officials Pat Morley and Gerardo Martinez at ringside. Steve Weisfeld, who made the journey to Saudi Arabia on Thursday night, was also in contention, but the coin toss determined Robles will officiate instead.