'Little boy' Fury shoves Parker

Hughie Fury lost his cool and got physical at Joseph Parker telling him to "relax, little boy", as the weigh-in for their WBO world heavyweight title fight turned ugly.

Fury started with the lip stuff but Parker gave back better than he got and Fury finally snapped, shoving the Kiwi back. The champion just smiled as chaos broke out around him. Fury's handlers pounced on two of Parker's team as they moved in to make sure their man was safe.

Parker had every right to label Fury "little" as he takes a 10kg weight advantage into the title fight at the Manchester Arena on Saturday (Sunday NZ Time). Parker, looking solid, weighed in at 112kg with Fury, lacking the muscle definition to match the champion, was only 102kg.

The heated action came when the two were asked to do the traditional stare down and words were exchanged with the handlers letting it go on for too long.

Something had to give and with his cousin Tyson Fury yelling "don't back off” and other local supporters yelling "give him a shove", it was Hughie Fury who cracked, turning things physical.

The shenanigans seemed to amuse Parker more than anything and he saw it as a pre-fight victory in a mental game the Furys have been trying to play all week.

"I think I got under his skin, I feel like he needed to react to give himself confidence. He has been talking up a big game and he needed to do something physical outside the ring. I choose to do my fighting inside the ring, maybe that's the last time he will touch me," Parker said later.

"He was saying 'this is my time; this is the new champion'. I just said 'relax, little boy, relax' and I said it real calm. 'I'll test your chin out, I'll test it tomorrow, just relax for now. Just relax and build up your energy, you're going to need it.' I kept calling him little boy."

Parker said the shove caught him by surprise. It was the first time an opponent has attacked him as he enters his 24th professional fight.

Parker believes the pressures of operating at home under huge expectations are getting to Fury.

 "He was respectful the other day, so I guess people react when they are angry or upset. I think he was upset and angry with what I said.

"He is fighting in his home town; he wants to put on a big show for everyone. But it's pressure ... Pressure comes when you are fighting in front of everyone, you have your cousin here, you want to put on a performance and there are doubts in your head like imagine if I get knocked out. It all plays a big part."

"It's good that he touched me then, because I'm going to try to avoid anything he's going to throw tomorrow. I don't want to waste my energy on trying to be upset or angry. It didn't faze me."

A cynical view would be that Fury might have been under a bit of pressure from his promoters to liven up proceedings as well, as the fight struggles to sell tickets with only 8000 tipped to attend the bout in the challenger's home city.

The shambles only hardened Parker's resolve to finish Fury early in the ring.

"I know he's going to move as much as he can and try and avoid the punches. But I know when I catch him, I'm going to punish him. I said I'm going to knock him out and that's what I'm going to do. He's going to get it.

"He's still trying to talk himself into it, he's trying to break my confidence but he's breaking his own."

Parker's mother Sala was yelling at Fury's team to behave themselves as the tussle went on, overflowing off the stage.

Parker agreed with her sentiments.

"He should be well behaved, this is a world title, you have to show your class outside of the ring. Different fighters act differently. I just like to keep it chilled.

"Inside the ring, do whatever you want. If you want to push me, push me; if you want to kick me, I'll kick you back."

The weight difference could prove significant. Fury has a height and reach advantage and will be mobile, but Parker now has a real edge in bulk to handle Fury's inevitable clinching game.

Parker is weighing around 2kg above his usual weight but assured it was all muscle. Fury is about 3kg lighter than his last fight which was 18 months ago and comes despite suggestions he was putting on weight and muscle with his improved health.

Fury will need to be at his awkward best to counter a fiercely determined and confident Parker.

It was an eventful end to an eventful buildup week. It started with security guards removing Parker's promoter David Higgins from a London press conference and finished with security intervention again.

There will be no-one to come to anyone's aid in the ring when this long-awaited clash finally gets under way.

 

Photo: PHOTOSPORT (Caption: Joseph Parker is shoved backwards after Hughie Fury lost his cool at the weigh-in for their WBO world heavyweight title fight)