Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk shared an astonishing face-off that lasted a full 11 minutes and 20 seconds after a fiery final press conference in Riyadh.
In one of the more bizarre head-to-heads in recent memory, the two rivals eyeballed each other for longer than some heavyweight fights actually last.
The staredown began with an intense silence but soon became awkward for those around the fighters. Several attempts were made to separate them but neither was willing to break it off. Eventually, words were exchanged and escalated into a series of threats – mostly from the Fury side – and the deadlock was broken.
Speaking as he left the stage, Usyk said: “Me? [Look away?] No.” The weigh-in takes place on Friday evening and will once again involve a face-off, as is tradition.
Earlier Fury insisted the time for joking is over as he pledged to put unified heavyweight champion Usyk in the “hurt locker” when they clash for the second time on Saturday.
Fury has cut a mean and moody figure at this week’s promotional events and Thursday’s press conference continued along the same lines as the 36-year-old kept the talking to a minimum.
The flashpoint came at the end of the face-off when Fury began taunting Usyk, who hit back with his own insults and a smile, before they were eventually separated.
“I’m going to dish out a whole lot of pain. I’m going to put this … in the hurt locker, for sure,” the bearded Fury said.
“I’ve got nothing to say apart there’s going to be a whole lot of hurt and pain in this fight, you watch. Watch me go to work.
“The talking has been done. The first fight I talked and joked. All of my career. This time I’m serious – I’m going to do some damage here on Saturday night.”
Fury’s approach to the rematch has been very different to the first fight when he sought to unsettle Usyk verbally and by towering over him at every available opportunity.
That tactic did not work and Usyk produced his finest career victory with a split decision win to add Fury’s WBC belt to his WBA, IBF and WBO titles.
In reference to his successful game plan of stalking the ‘Gypsy King’ around the ring, the 37-year-old Usyk promised a repeat performance.
“Don’t be afraid. I will not leave you alone. See you on Saturday,” said Usyk, who was subsequently stripped of the IBF title for choosing to rematch Fury rather than face mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.
Fury’s brother Tommy and wife Paris watched from the crowd at Via Riyadh, but there was still no sign of dad John, whose erratic contribution to Fury's corner back in May was widely criticised.
Trainer SugarHill Steward revealed on Wednesday that Fury Sr had been stood down from corner duties for the rematch with himself, second Andy Lee and a cutman making up the revised trio.
The corner work in May was strongly criticised with each of Steward, Lee and Fury Sr giving contradictory advice in between the later rounds.
Fury spent seven weeks at a training camp in Malta and says he has not spoken to his wife for three months in order to focus fully on avenging his only loss. Promoter Frank Warren believes he will win by knockout.
“The first fight was magnificent. It was a great fight that had everything. It was a very close fight and there was a cigarette paper in the decision,” Warren said.
“These guys know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and this fight is going to be about who has the strength to exploit the weaknesses. I believe Tyson Fury will come through this and I don’t think the fight will go the distance.
“Tyson’s in great shape and in a great frame of mind. We’re going to to get an extra special event – do not blink from the first bell.”
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
If you go:
Getting there:
Flying to Guyana requires first reaching New York with either Emirates or Etihad, then connecting with JetBlue or Caribbean Air at JFK airport. Prices start from around Dh7,000.
Getting around:
Wildlife Worldwide offers a range of Guyana itineraries, such as its small group tour, the 15-day ‘Ultimate Guyana Nature Experience’ which features Georgetown, the Iwokrama Rainforest (one of the world’s four remaining pristine tropical rainforests left in the world), the Amerindian village of Surama and the Rupununi Savannah, known for its giant anteaters and river otters; wildlifeworldwide.com
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
SPEC SHEET
Display: 6.8" edge quad-HD dynamic Amoled 2X, Infinity-O, 3088 x 1440, 500ppi, HDR10 , 120Hz
Processor: 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8-core
Memory: 8/12GB RAM
Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB
Platform: Android 12
Main camera: quad 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2, 108MP wide f/1.8, 10MP telephoto f/4.9, 10MP telephoto 2.4; Space Zoom up to 100x, auto HDR, expert RAW
Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60fps, HD@30fps, super slo-mo@960fps
Front camera: 40MP f/2.2
Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
I/O: USB-C
SIM: single nano, or nano and SIM, nano and nano, eSIM/nano and nano
Colours: burgundy, green, phantom black, phantom white, graphite, sky blue, red
Price: Dh4,699 for 128GB, Dh5,099 for 256GB, Dh5,499 for 512GB; 1TB unavailable in the UAE
Book%20Details
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Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
Company%20profile
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more from Janine di Giovanni
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas
Three stars
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
