Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov: Briton in high spirits

A smiling Fury made his entrance in typical fashion – dancing onto the stage and playing to the crowd before crossing immediately to shake Makhmudov’s hand.

There has been little animosity between the pair during fight week. Fury even blew a kiss at his opponent during a promotional appearance earlier in the week.

The news conference itself felt at times like a rerun of the media event when the fight was first revealed. Makhmudov rarely engaged in any back-and-forth despite the host’s attempts to spark a war of words.

Makhmudov spent most of the time glancing at his phone, drawing criticism from heavyweight great Lennox Lewis who was part of the TV broadcast.

The 36-year-old did address one unusual training method – wrestling a bear. “But I don’t want to try this anymore because it was so scary,” he added.

Eventually, Fury – whose record stands at 34 wins from 37 fights, with 24 knockouts, alongside two defeats and one draw – seized the spotlight. He described himself as “speedy, skilful, handsome and destructive”.

“I’ve never lost my speed of reactions. I’ve still got it – 100%,” he added. “I’m looking for as good a performance as it can be after 16 months out. I must have done 500 rounds of sparring to prepare.”

The ‘Gypsy King’ later wandered over to join the broadcast team, where he could be heard shouting: “I’m on top of the world, baby.”