Remember when boxing was the sport of kings and wrestling its pantomime cousin? Laughed at for it's cheesy lines, cartoon-like character and its pre-planned nature.
Fast forward a few decades, and there has been a blurring of the lines.
With the upcoming Carl Froch vs George Groves and Tyson Fury vs Dereck Chisora fights making the headlines for their press conferences instead of their ring work, it's more reminiscent of professional wrestling than boxing. If pre-planned lines and poses for the camera weren't bad enough, have a look at some of the hype-mongering actions in these pressers.
Here's Carl Froch pushing George Groves during one of their endless press events.
If slight physical contact months before a fight is enough to steal headlines, imagine if you flipped over the table at your press conference. Luckily, Tyson Fury did it earlier this month. If you look closely enough, you can actually see some tangible cringe.
Known for his ability to talk up a fight in the media, Fury was at it again just two weeks ago, but this time Chisora managed to get a few words of his own in.
Picture credit: David Maher / SPORTSFILE
