Usyk dresses as a hitman and gets Fury's signature in bizarre news conference

Dressed as a hitman, Oleksandr Usyk opened a briefcase, removed a photograph and walked over to Tyson Fury to get his heavyweight rival to sign it.

The picture was of Fury receiving a big left hand to the jaw from Usyk during their May 19 fight in Saudi Arabia when the Ukrainian won by split decision to become the world’s first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.

“Nice one,” Fury said after penning his signature.

In a news conference of few words in London on Wednesday, it was the actions and appearance of Usyk that stood out as the two fighters attempted to drum up publicity for their Dec. 21 rematch back in Riyadh.

Usyk appeared to come as Agent 47 from the video game “Hitman” — dressed in a suit, red tie and black gloves and carrying a suitcase.

“It’s just a character,” he said in one of his longer answers in the news conference.

Did he need to do anything differently in the rematch, Usyk was asked. “No,” was the reply.

What was he surprised by in the first fight? “I don’t remember,” Usyk said.

Asked if he had a message for Fury, Usyk said: “No.”

Fury went on to mimic Usyk’s one-word answers, though earlier gave a more detailed response about what he expected to happen in the rematch, when there will be three belts — WBA, WBO and WBC — on the line. In May, Usyk also won the IBF title but had to vacate it in June.

“I have to be a little more focused, a little more smart to get the victory,” Fury said.

“All I can do is prepare well, train hard, eat well, go to bed early, wake up early, listen to people around me. And the rest is in God’s hands … I believe it will be my time this time. I believe all things that happen, negative or positive, are lessons. We must learn from them.”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury attends a press conference at the Guildhall, London, Wednesday Oct. 23, 2024. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

Heavyweight boxer Oleksandr Usyk attends a press conference at the Guildhall, London, Wednesday Oct. 23, 2024. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

Heavyweight boxers Oleksandr Usyk, left, and Tyson Fury during a press conference at the Guildhall, London, Wednesday Oct. 23, 2024. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

Heavyweight boxer Oleksandr Usyk, left, arrives for a press conference at the Guildhall, London, Wednesday Oct. 23, 2024. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

Heavyweight boxer Oleksandr Usyk attends a press conference at the Guildhall, London, Wednesday Oct. 23, 2024. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

A Missouri reporter was injured slightly Tuesday when a rifle fired by a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate during a campaign event caused metal fragments to hit the journalist in the arm.

The KSHB-TV reporter was hit in the arm by flyaway metal as Lucas Kunce, a Marine, fired an AR-15-style rifle at targets at an exurban Kansas City home.

Kunce provided first aid to the reporter, who continued covering the event. The Kansas City TV station reported the journalist later was treated for a minor injury at a local hospital.

“We had four first aid kits, so we were able to take care of the situation,” Kunce on Tuesday posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. He added that he’s glad the reporter is OK.

Kunce is trying to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley next month.

The Tuesday shooting event appears to have been designed to appeal to moderate and Republican voters in a state now defined by the GOP’s political dominance, including a strong belief in gun rights. Such events are now increasingly common tactic used by some Missouri Democrats.

No Democrats serve in statewide office. Kunce’s rival, Hawley, ousted former Democratic powerhouse Sen. Claire McCaskill in 2018.

Nationally, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris has not shied away from guns, either. She told Oprah Winfrey last month that she owns a gun and is prepared to shoot home invaders.

Kunce later wrote on social media that he had a “great day at the range” with former Illinois U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican.

“We got to hang out with some union workers while exercising our freedom," Kunce wrote in the post that also referenced the accidental shooting.

For his part, Hawley responded jokingly to the accident.

“I condemn all acts of violence against reporters and call on Kunce never to shoot another one,” he wrote on X, ending the post with several laughing-face emojis.

This is Kunce's second bid for the U.S. Senate. He lost the Democratic primary in 2022 to beer heir Trudy Busch Valentine, who went on to lose to now-Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Republican, in the general election.

Missouri Democratic U.S. senate candidate Lucas Kunce fires rounds from a AR-15-style rifle during a campaign event Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024 in Holt, Missouri. (Dominick Williams/The Kansas City Star via AP)

Democratic U.S. senate candidate Lucas Kunce, center, applies first aid to KSHB reporter Ryan Gamboa, left, after Gamboa was struck by a metal fragment during a sport shooting campaign event Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024 in Holt, Missouri. (Dominick Williams/The Kansas City Star via AP)

Democratic U.S. senate candidate Lucas Kunce, right, applies first aid to KSHB reporter Ryan Gamboa after Gamboa was struck by a metal fragment during a sport shooting campaign event Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024 in Holt, Missouri. (Dominick Williams/The Kansas City Star via AP)