Renowned for spitting water, flipping tables and throwing camera equipment at opponents before fights, Dereck Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs) took a completely different approach at the final press conference before his Oct. 31 heavyweight showdown with Oleksandr Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs).
The face-to-face interview featuring the two men turned into an argument about who is the most dominant animal, which at least made for an entertaining and non-violent change from the classic Chisora formula.
The unique conversation stemmed from something Usyk said during previous fight week media duties, which he repeated at the press conference moderated by Matchroom Boxing chief Eddie Hearn.
The unbeaten Ukrainian had employed an analogy about why the lion was the king of the jungle, not the elephant, in a reference to his relatively small stature among the other heavyweights.
"I don’t know why everybody talks about it being a test at heavyweight," he explained through an interpreter. "All my career I have been tested at heavyweight.
"In the World Series of Boxing, I fought at heavyweight against boxers who wanted to hurt me, and nothing changes here. If you don’t think I have the power to hurt someone… ask Tony Bellew.
"I’m glad people don’t think I have power, that I cannot stop an opponent. If the king of the jungle was decided by size, it would be the elephant, not the lion."
This prompted Chisora to interrupt, saying: "I’ve heard you say that before, and I wanted to correct you.
"An elephant is the king of the jungle, for the simple reason that a lion is only brave when there are loads of them. When an elephant is by himself, he can attack a herd of lions and get away with it."
The response drew laughter and applause from the crowd, not to mention an animated facial expression from Usyk, who then retorted: "An elephant is the friend of a mouse!"
After even more laughter from a thoroughly-entertained gathering of those within the fight night "bubble," Chisora took it a step further.
"An elephant and a mouse? That's what you heard from Disney films! That's why they write Disney books, and [make claims such as] he's afraid of the mouse."
Hearn, grinning from ear to ear at the entire exchange, then summed up the situation.
"This Saturday, it is the lion vs. the elephant," he said. "the former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk against the man who is coming to win, who many people believe can win, Dereck Chisora."
Usyk vs. Chisora airs Saturday, October 31, live on Sky Sports Box Office in the U.K. and on DAZN in the U.S.