WBC champion Tyson Fury and challenger Dillian Whyte paid respect to each other, and even shared a handshake, as they met for the first time since their heavyweight bout was announced.
The Britons will fight at Wembley Stadium in front of 96,000 fans on Saturday night.
Fury, 33, will make a second defence of the title he won in February 2020.
Whyte, 34, had kept a low profile since the fight was announced, frustrated with his split of the purse.
“It’s a big fight and I’m excited to be here,” Whyte said. “Sorry I couldn’t be here earlier but I’m here now.”
He fell short of giving a detailed explanation of his reluctance to attend events such as a media conference last month, but said: “There’s two sides to every story.”
The Londoner added: “You lot hear one side because they say a lot of things. Because I don’t say anything, they say you’re scared or hiding.”
Whyte made a low-key entrance as he walked on to the stage and greeted Queensbury promoter Frank Warren. Fury, in contrast, shouted “the champ is here” as he made his way to his seat.
Media from around the world packed out a room at Wembley Stadium, with many expecting a hostile, intense and unpredictable meeting between the two fighters. Instead, there was a great deal of mutual respect, and even light-hearted exchanges.
Credit: bbc.com
