Tensions were at an all-time high inside the Sky Sports studios in the hours leading up to The Gloves Are Off between David Haye and Tony Bellew, so what happened when the cameras stopped rolling?
There was a stony silence surrounding Tony Bellew, the first to arrive, as he marched down the corridors flanked by his trainer, Dave Coldwell, and a trio of security guards. Just briefly, the intensity of Bellew's walk made it look like he was striding to the ring, not the make-up room.
"He's already late," Bellew said, half-jokingly, looking at a watch that agreed David Haye should have also arrived.
Back in late-January, the filming of The Gloves Are Off, a tradition for Sky Sports Box Office fights, forced the feuding rivals together for the first time since a press conference ended in chaos, with Bellew accusing Haye of throwing a punch. More hotheadedness inside the Sky studios on a freezing Friday night would not be tolerated, the British Board of Control had warned.
"We have a code among fighters that we should never really throw punches without gloves on," Bellew told Sky Sports News HQ as he awaited the arrival of Haye who, 45 minutes ago, claimed he would arrive in 20 minutes.
Such an unwritten rule had been violated by the caustic rivalry between Dereck Chisora and Dillian Whyte several months prior, and as a result, a nervous energy enclosed the room that Bellew and Haye would soon share.
Eventually word gets around that our second guest is finally here. Haye, a victim of the rush-hour traffic, arrived and cut a far more relaxed figure than the focused Bellew. Frequent yawns, combined with the physique protruding from Haye's t-shirt, suggested a long, hard week of training.
An operation of near-military precision had arranged for each boxer to arrive via different entrances, and to never cross paths until they sat at the notorious table in the darkened room with just Johnny Nelson for company. If those walls could talk…
The tension piqued as Haye joined Bellew at the table - no words were initially exchanged, as the microphones were applied, but the posturing had begun. There was menace in the eyes of both men.
So Haye and Bellew deserve great credit for maintaining their professionalism, even as they resembled caged animals snarling at each other. There were moments of concern for the surrounding staff but the hour of filming passed with only insults, instead of punches, thrown.
"If there's a camera there, you'll get him there for 100 per cent. If it's a movie premiere, you'll definitely get him there," Bellew had earlier teased, but painting Haye as a diva is perhaps unfair.
After filming, the former heavyweight champion from London was approachable and thoughtful on subjects ranging from the upcoming fight, his own shortcomings against Wladimir Klitschko, and Anthony Joshua's impressive rise.
Both men disappeared into the dark January night as quickly as they had arrived, leaving those remaining inside Sky studios to breath a collective sigh of relief. Come next Saturday night, there will be no need to separate them.