Oleksandr Usyk channelled his inner Tyson Fury by bursting into song after his face-off with Anthony Joshua ahead of their match in Saudi Arabia. Watch the video below:
Usyk will defend his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles against Joshua on Saturday in Jeddah, in a fight dubbed the 'Rage on the Red Sea'.
The prestigious Ring heavyweight title will also be on the line after Fury vacated the belt following his latest retirement claim.
Advert
Usyk and Joshua came face-to-face on Wednesday at a final press conference to promote this weekend's fight.
At the end of the conference, there was a tense face-off between the pair which lasted for nearly a full minute.
But before things had a chance to boil over, Usyk released the tension by bursting into song.
The Ukrainian, who was in traditional dress from his home country, began to sing and ushered his supporters in attendance to join in.
According to Twitter account Zorya Londonsk, Usyk was singing a song titled 'Oy U Luzy, Chervona Kalyna'.
"This song was a popular song of the UNR [Ukrainian National Republic] army towards the end of WWI," explained the account.
"It has since become popular once again since Russia's full scale invasion & has seen Pink Floyd release a cover of it."
Usyk's singalong got fans talking on social media after the press conference.
"Well that was a bizarre ending," wrote one fan on Twitter.
Another added: "How can anyone hate Usyk man..."
Joshua is hoping to win back the belts that he lost to Usyk in a unanimous decision defeat to the Ukrainian in September.
And the former Olympic heavyweight champion is confident he will come out on top this time.
"I like the pressure," Joshua said.
"It's been tough. [Now] just get the job done. Instinct, stay focused, get the job done, god willing, victorious."
Topics: Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua, Heavyweight Boxing, Boxing
Rory O'Callaghan