WATCH: Tyson Fury's immediate reaction to blood trickling down his father's face after shocking headbutt
The Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk fight week festivities have commenced. Members of both boxers' teams seemingly got into an altercation. Tyson's father John Fury notably unleashed a headbutt on Stanislav Stepchuk, a member of Usyk's entourage. For his part, 'The Gypsy King' later seemed surprised to see his father who was bleeding from the headbutt.
Presently, Tyson Fury is the WBC and lineal heavyweight champion. Meanwhile, Usyk holds the WBA (Super), WBO, IBF, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles. The winner of their fight will earn the honor of becoming boxing's first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999.
The Fury-Usyk heavyweight title clash is scheduled to take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 18, 2024.
The tensions between the Fury and Usyk camps seemingly reached another crescendo when the boxers' teams came face to face in Riyadh. Chants of "Usyk" and "Fury" broke out. John Fury vehemently led the "Fury" chants. The elder Fury eventually ended up close to Stanislav Stepchuk from Usyk's camp, who was chanting "Usyk."
The veteran boxing trainer headbutted Stepchuk. Security personnel swiftly intervened and separated the two teams. The headbutt left John Fury with a forehead cut, whereas Stepchuk suffered a cut above his left eye.
Tyson Fury later entered the vicinity and seemed to be enthusiastically hyping up the crowd. However, 'The Gypsy King' stopped upon seeing his father bleeding. The 35-year-old boxing great jabbed at his 59-year-old father and stated:
"What's happened to your head, you silly c*nt? How have you cut yourself like that?"
Watch Tyson Fury's reaction below (*video courtesy: Pro Boxing Fans):
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk: John Fury addresses altercation and headbutt incident
John Fury has often been criticized for purportedly being aggressive, particularly at media events related to his family members' boxing matches. After the altercation between the two teams and the headbutt, Fury spoke to Seconds Out Boxing and apologized for his behavior.
Stanislav Stepchuk spoke to Seconds Out Boxing and claimed he was chanting "Usyk" and was unnecessarily attacked John by Fury. He cast aspersions on the former fighter's mental state and implied that he didn't strike back out of consideration for John's age.
Furthermore, in another interview with iFL TV, the older Fury indicated that he was minding his own business and things escalated after Usyk's camp initiated the "Usyk" chants. The former boxer asserted that he was standing up for his son, who he believes is the best in the world and must be given the deserved credit. Insinuating that the headbutt against Stepchuk was warranted, Fury said:
"When I was in amongst them, all I could hear was badness. So, at the end, some little idiot come forward -- I don't know who he was -- in me space. He got what he got. And that's the end of it. Happens every other week for me that."
Check out John Fury's comments below (0:50):