FURY: I WON’T MAKE THIS A RACIAL WAR
TYSON FURY refused to be dragged into a race row after his rivalry with Deontay Wilder turned nasty.
What had been a sedate head-tohead exploded into chaos as Wilder shoved his face into his opponent’s during a heated staredown.
Tempers flared when Wilder referenced his Fury’s traveller heritage and the Brit placed a hand on the champion’s shoulder.
Both screamed obscenities before Fury ripped off his shirt and suit jacket in anticipation of a brawl.
They were eventually hauled from the stage and Wilder, who hails from Alabama in the deep South of the US, said: “This man talks about history, that he comes from a fighting tribe of 200 years, but we’ve been doing it for 400 years.
“I can’t even watch the news. Do we deserve it? What have we done to people? People always want to make you explain things because they don’t understand; they don’t come from the same culture or world, they don’t feel the same heartache and pain.
“People see it every day but are blind to it. It’s still going on today and people say, ‘Why are they so mad?’
“If it happened to you or your culture then you would understand but people stick to their own naive way.” Fury, however, shied away from turning tomorrow night’s heavyweight world title fight into a personal vendetta.
He said: “I don’t think we should make this a battle of race or culture. This is above all that – we are fighting for the most gentlemanly prize, the heavyweight championship of the world.
“I know it wasn’t gentleman-like up there but I didn’t instigate it, I didn’t get up there to start screaming in his face.
“My people have been persecuted for thousands of years but we’re not going to go there. This isn’t a battle of who has been persecuted longer; it’s
Fury against Wilder.”
It was Wilder who appeared rattled following the ruckus, Fury claiming a small victory before the first bell.
But the American insisted he has not fallen victim to the challenger’s mind games.
He added: “Don’t misconstrue my mindset, this isn’t for the cameras, this is real. I couldn’t care less.
“If Fury’s team think all that stuff was a sign of weakness then I can’t wait to show them strength on Saturday.
“I’m a very dangerous person and I’m in the right sport to be dangerous.”
This isn’t a battle of who has been persecuted longer.. it’s Fury against Wilder