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Tyson Fury and Tom Schwarz met up today in Las Vegas for the final press conference ahead of Saturday’s fight on ESPN+, and the event went by with no displays of animosity or anything like that.
Underdog Schwarz (24-0, 16 KO) didn’t really say much at all, in fact, just the usual bits about how he’s ready for the fight and whatnot. Standard stuff, which is not a knock, just nothing really noteworthy.
Fury (27-0-1, 19 KO) used most of his time on the mic to talk about mental health, going back 18 months or so to when he was very publicly at a low point personally.
“I was very heavy, very unwell,” he said. “I want to inspire people to get better, to change their lives as I did mine. If I can do it, you can do it. I’m nobody special, I’m just a human being.”
Fury only briefly talked about the fight itself, remarking, “We’re here to fight! Tom’s trained hard, I’ve trained hard. I’m really looking forward to getting in there and kicking some ass!”
He also discussed fighting in Vegas for the first time, and the reception he’s had in the city.
“The crowd has warmed to me and everyone’s been very welcoming,” Fury said. “It’s quite humbling, to be honest. It’s a great experience to be here in Las Vegas at MGM Grand, where all the big fights happen. It’s what I was born to do. I believe the fight with Wilder only helped with my profile in the US.”
Mikaela Mayer, who will feature on the ESPN2 prelims, also kind of randomly popped in off to the side at the end, and got herself into the photo ops. Bob Arum quickly sold her fight with Lizbeth Crespo on the looks of the two fighters, admitting this will probably get him some backlash. But make no mistake, Mayer can fight and Top Rank have promoted her because she can fight.