Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua finally came face-to-face on Wednesday - but few could have predicted how their first press conference ahead of their blockbuster heavyweight clash would unfold. Perhaps because of the uncertainty that has continued to surround the fight since it was announced, there was something of a surreal atmosphere in west London until the two biggest names in British boxing finally appeared on stage shortly after 6pm. The whole thing suddenly felt very real, with the audible excitement of the relatively small number of fans who had been able to buy tickets to watch from the arena's upper tier clearly appreciated by both fighters.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player With the two-time world champions sat just a few feet apart, attention quickly turned to how they would interact after years of verbal sparring from a distance. Joshua's measured persona made his approach easier to predict, but the wildcard was which version of Fury would show up. After a lengthy introduction from master of ceremonies Max Kellerman, the American's questions about the fighters' sparring session - which took place in 2010, when Joshua was still an amateur - produced some light-hearted banter.
However, Joshua soon took control of the proceedings to pay tribute to several people in his life who had passed away, including Sina Ghami and Latif 'Latz' Ayodele, who died in a car crash in Nigeria last December that Joshua survived. Joshua requested a minute of silence which was impeccably observed by everyone in the arena, before applause at the end of it, which Fury warmly participated in. Whether it had always been his intention or Joshua's words had influenced him, Fury then offered some extremely kind words about his rival.
"This man is a two-time heavyweight world champion, Olympic gold medallist, and he has been a role model and a poster boy for British boxing for years," Fury said. "I mostly find myself defending my arch rival to fans I meet in the street. If you could achieve 10 per cent of what this man has achieved, you'd be doing well." While there is little doubt tensions will rise and less friendly exchanges will follow between now and fight night, both fighters made it clear that there is a great deal of underlying respect between them, with no obvious personal malice.
That was further underlined when Fury invited Joshua to join him for a pint of Guinness in the pub after the fight, regardless of the result. Joshua's humorous suspicion of the invitation, however, perhaps reflected his surprise at Fury's approach to the event. Was the master of mind games at it again?
Few are better qualified to analyse this event and everything around it than Britain's former undisputed heavyweight world champion Lennox Lewis, who was in attendance. Lewis is adamant that once Fury and Joshua are deeper into their training camps, their exchanges will become less friendly. "It's too early, at this time [for aggro]," Lewis said.
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