Boxing hero Tyson Fury paid tribute to wrestler The Undertaker at his weigh-in – then insisted he'll leave Deontay Wilder "unrecognisable" when the pair meet for the third time.
The trilogy fight, taking place in the early hours of Sunday morning UK time, will finally settle a long-running feud between the two heavyweights.
Wilder and Fury were wrapped up in a frank exchange of views but the former appeared to walk away from Fury's invitation of the traditional face off that typically comes at a boxing weigh-in.
The pair weren't expected to do so with tension already sky high but that prompted the Manchester scrapper to roar at his opponent: "There is a man here that's going to annihilate you, dosser.
"Me, the Gyspy King. Tyson Fury.
"He was complaining last time he had a cracked skull and an injured arm. Whoa, I can't wait for Saturday night.
"I'm going to severely damage him. He'll be unrecognisable after the fight.
"I'll send him home butchered."
Fury stopped Wilder in the seventh round when the pair met in 2019 but the American accused his English opponent of cheating.
He alleged Fury had tampered with his gloves while another excuse centred on the weight of his bizarre ring walk costume.
The first match in 2018 ended in a controversial draw and so undefeated Fury will remain that way if he can see off Wilder again while defending his WBC belt.
The 'Gypsy King' incredibly recovered from a brutal knockdown in that first fight and so his choice of hat in the style of WWE's Deadman at the weigh-in on Friday appeared to be no accident.
The long-awaited third fight was postponed from July 2020 thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic before an outbreak of the virus would shelve the match even longer this year.
It was presumed to be the final tick on the checklist before a British boxing megafight between Fury and Anthony Joshua – but the latter's loss to Aleksander Usyk has thrown that prospect into question.
Both fighters recorded their heaviest ever weights – Wilder weighed in at 238lbs while Fury clocked in at a surprising 277lbs, four heavier than the second fight in the series.
