Photos: Mikey Williams/Top Rank
Ten minutes before the press conference was set to begin, Tyson Fury waltzed onto the stage at the David Copperfield Theater and started the proceedings early. The Tyson Fury Show had officially hit the Vegas Strip.
Fury (27-0-1, 19 KOs) faces undefeated Tom Schwarz (24-0, 16 KOs) Saturday at MGM Grand Garden Arena, live on ESPN+. He commented on his challenger’s good lucks and engaged in a pose-off with his adversary before the formal press conference got underway. This is what the main event participants and Top Rank chairman Bob Arum had to say.
Tyson Fury
On the response of the American people to him
“I feel like the crowd has warmed to me. Everyone has been very welcoming. The American people, all different types of people, have been coming up to me, people from all over the world here in Vegas. People who don’t speak English, people who don’t even watch boxing. It’s quite humbling, to be honest. It’s a very great experience to be here, Las Vegas, MGM Grand. It’s where all the great fights happen. Seeing your face on all the movie screens and posters is great.”
“I believe the fight with Wilder only helped my profile here in the United States, and here we are again, only a few days away from the biggest fight of my life.”
On his public battle with mental awareness
“I talk about mental health a lot because it’s very important to me. Only 18 months ago, I was in a very, very dark place. I just wanted to prove to people that there is a way back. You can come back from anything. Nothing is impossible, and if you’d seen me a time ago when I was very heavy and very unwell… I love to inspire people. to get better and change their lives as I did mine. And I’m living proof that anyone can change.”
“I was down and out. I have my family right here, and even those guys thought I was gone. There was no return for ‘They Gypsy King.’ No more. He was finished. I dusted myself off, got back on the road, got back mentally well, and me, {trainer} Ben {Davison} and the whole team, we worked very hard for a long time to get to this position.”
“I am living the dream. That’s why I’m so happy, so positive all the time. I’m one of the only people who is living what they want to do. There is nothing else that I wanted to do. As a kid, I wanted to be heavyweight champion of the world. So now, everything is a bonus. I wake up every day, enjoy life, and take life as it comes.”
Tom Schwarz
“Training for this fight was very good. We had hundreds of sparring partners to prepare for this big fight. My time is now!”
On adding Roberto Norris to his corner
“He makes me train harder and that has made me a stronger fighter. I have also learned new boxing skills with him. He has taught me the American style.”
“Top Rank is a great company and Bob Arum is the God of all promoters. We also know Frank Warren very well. He is a great promoter, too. The eyes of the world will be on Las Vegas this Saturday night and for that, I’m very honored and excited. It will be a great fight and I’m coming to win it and shock the world.”
Bob Arum
“I am absolutely delighted with this reception. The job of a promoter, as Frank {Warren} would attest, can be very difficult. Once in a while, many times, you get guys who are reluctant to speak to the press. You gotta give them scripts as to what to say. With Tyson Fury, all you have to do is get him into place so that he can meet with the press, he can meet with the public. You don’t have to tell him what to say because he knows how to reach the public and reach the press. It’s really been a delight to do this promotion. I’m a big fan of German boxing, and I know Tom – who many of you have not heard of – is a tremendous fighter. Our matchmakers went over the tapes of his 24 victories and some of his amateur tapes, and we realize what a tremendous fighter he is.”
–
ok how about this fury, I hope you get knocked out you puke, oh gee i’m sorry. hope I didn;t ruffle any feathers
Aha a troll in the house, only puke is you @mike.
JIMMY YOU ALSO ARE A PUKE ,STUPID COMMENTS COME FROM YOU ALL THE TIME.FURY WILL GO DOWN AGAIN MENTALLY WHEN HE GETS BEAT,HE MIGHT EVEN DO THE WORST TO HIMSELF ,REALLY HE IS A NUT CASE, JUST LIKE YOU ARE,JERK
Tom Schwarz: “Training for this fight was very good. We had hundreds of sparring partners to prepare for this big fight. My time is now!”
Really?? “hundreds of sparring partners”????
At least 95% of them must be imaginary.
STONE FREE I GUESS YOU LOST YOUR BRAINS.WAKE UP AND GO TO THE ROCK QUARRY TO GET SOME GRAVEL
Jerry, I am sorry for your mental problems. Why is it difficult for you to understand that Schwarz can’t possibly have had “hundreds of sparring partners” for this fight? That’s an evidently crazy statement. No one in the history of boxing ever had “hundreds of sparring partners” for one fight, what to speak of a nobody like Tom Schwarz.
I thought the “hundreds of sparring partners” was a ludicrous statement as well. It did make me think: how do you find a sparring partner to prepare for Tyson Fury? NBA? The closest fighter I can think of is Wilder and while the height is close, he just doesn’t move anything like Fury. And…most champions don’t do the sparring partner role, especially when it might help disrupt a future payday.
Jerry, I understand that English can’t possibly be your first language. The primary meaning of “stonefree” is “carefree”. It has nothing to do with quarries and gravel :))
stonefree ,you certainly are care free,since you got out of the institute.i wish you all the best in your recovery .should be a good fight tonight. i hope fury loses .
i would not waste my time to watch this fight.
Gee, we sure will miss you !! DD
Might be a better fight than it looks like. If he can get inside could do some damage, as Fury not known for great punching power.Could be worth a chance at 11-1 odds.
Why waste the time on your comment?
It’s unfortunate that Tom SCHWARZ is attempting to speak English and things get lost in translation then people dont have the sense to understand that here merely meant he sparred alot.
Tom Schwartz is no joke. I’ve been watching his fights on YouTube and he can fight and hes basically the same size as fury. He also has a big armature background. He may not have name recognition but I believ this is going to be a truly stern test for fury
I agree. I think Tom is dangerous because Fury doesn’t really have power to get rid of guys but he will box your ears off. That said, Schwarz has ABSOLUTELY nothing to lose and the world to gain. Someone can be very dangerous in those circumstances. Tom is not perfect at anything… BUT he does everything ok and he’s a big boy too. If Schwarz finds some way to exploit Fury he will take it and Fury likely doesn’t have the pop to put Tom away early.
The fights that the boxing fans wanted were between the title holders, and Tyson Fury. Joshua has lost his titles and Wilder and Fury are just fighting contenders so until those three start fighting each other, the interest has shifted from the heavy weights. Though Ruiz must now be considered. Can he repeat his performance in the rematch?