The London red carpet media launch for Tyson Fury’s mega millions fight in Saudi Arabia next month glistened all the more vividly as a candidate for the undercard suffered a cut eye on his arrival.
Fabio Wardley walked into a brawl with projected British heavyweight title opponent David Adeleye and his minders.
One of the latter threw a punch which caught Wardley on his sun glasses, which nicked his left eye and sent the claret spurting.
Videos of the incident appeared on social media shortly afterwards and clearly show Wardley being sent to the ground after being caught by Adeleye’s team.
The scuffle came just moments before a bout between the two fighters, on the undercard of Fury-Ngannou, was announced.
Fabio Wardley (pictured) was left with a nasty cut after being involved in a scuffle at the Fury vs Ngannou press conference
The British heavyweight was caught by one of the members of David Adeleye’s team
Adeleye (pictured) was not the one to instigate the bout against his upcoming opponent
Once the scuffle ended WBC world heavyweight champion Fury and former UFC giant Francis Ngannou set about selling their cross over boxing match in Riyadh on October 28
Both insisted this will be a genuine fight, not the enriching exhibition making of themselves which many critics believe.
Which made the name of the third promoter of the Saudi spectacular a delicious irony
Frank Warren’s Queensberry and Bob Arum’s Top Rank were joined on the rostrum by Ngannou’s… Gimmick Promotions.
That did not say it all. Fury argued: ‘I’m going to be in fantastic condition for a very dangerous fight with the man they call the biggest puncher in all combat sports.
‘Because if I did get beat by an MMA fighter I would never be able to show my face in public again.’
Tyson Fury (L) and Francis Ngannou (R) will face off in the boxing ring on October 28th