Tony Bellew vs Oleksandr Usyk press conference - as it happened
The two cruiserweights met ahead of the November clash
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Your support makes all the difference.Tony Bellew refused to be daunted by Oleksandr Usyk, as the pair met for a press conference in Manchester ahead of their eagerly anticipated title fight on 10 November.
Bellew, who previously held the WBC cruiserweight title before stepping up the heavyweight to twice defeat domestic rival David Haye, will return to his old weight class to challenge the formidable Usyk.
The affable scouser will start as the underdog. Usyk boasts a flawless professional record of 15-0 amd became the first boxer in history to hold all four major world championships at cruiserweight when he took apart Murat Gassiev to win the World Boxing Super Series in July.
The Ukrainian dominated at amateur level too, winning Olympic and World Championship gold alongside his compatriot and good friend Vasyl Lomachenko. It promises to be an extraordinary fight. Here's how the press conference played out.
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No words exchanged between the men as they face off, just an intense stare down.
Eddie Hearn tells both men to face away from each other but neither man is willing to budge, Usyk then faces the front but keeps his eyes on his opponent and Bellew does exactly the same.
Usyk the first man to peel his eyes away and the pair begin exchanging words.
So to wrap-up from that press conference:
• Tony Bellew doesn't think Usyk is a looker
• Oleksandr Usyk says he's a 'white rabbit'
• Usyk is thinking about nothing but his training camp
• Bellew says this is likely to be his last ever fight as a professional boxer
A war of mind games, not so much words.
Usyk poses with his four belts alongside challenger Bellew.
That is that!
The training camps will get underway and you can follow The Independent's coverage of Usyk-Bellew all the way to fight night and beyond.
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