Australian boxing great Jeff Fenech has explained his decision to rush across the ring and confront rival trainer Ben Savva before Tim Tszyu’s blockbuster world title win, declaring: “If you want to talk s*** about me, say it to my face”.

One of Aussie boxing’s great feuds exploded inside the Gold Coast Convention on Sunday afternoon when — on the undercard of Tszyu’s WBO world title fight — Fenech and Savva had to be physically separated inside the ring.

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The incident followed a week of jawing between the pair, and afterwards saw the younger trainer brand Fenech a “f…ing idiot” and “moron” – while also accusing him of homophobic slurs.

Speaking with Fox Sports Australia on Monday however, Fenech vehemently denied having ever made such comments towards the trainer who he branded “a nobody”.

Fenech also suggested Savva was likely upset given his fighter, Danvers Cuschieri, had just had “the s… punched out of him” by his own rising star, Hass Hamdan.

While the solid Tszyu undercard fight went the distance, Hamdan won on all three judges’ scorecards: 79-73, 78-74 and 77-75.

Immediately after the fight, Fenech could be seen shouting and gesturing across the ring at Savva, who then returned serve – prompting the four-time world champion to rush across and confront his rival, with the pair quickly separated.

Asked soon after backstage to explain the altercation, Savva said: “We were being humble, congratulating them and Jeff just started off for no apparent reason.

“Mouthing off at me as he always does.

“Then he started doing some weird finger gestures so I just did it back to him and he came over being aggressive.

“He’s just a f…ing idiot.

“He’s an absolute moron and Australian boxing knows it.”

Asked for a response on Monday, Fenech said: “Ben Savva can say whatever he likes about me.

“I just want him to say it to my face.

“Because whenever he sees me in person, he says nothing.

“The s… you say about me in the media, the s… you say about me online … it’s easy to talk tough when the other person isn’t there.

“So say it to my face.

“That’s why I went across to him.”

Later, Fenech continued: “The guy is a nobody.

“Has achieved nothing.

“Honestly though, I hope he does.

“The kid he brought to fight, he gave a really tough, gutsy performance.

“But he had the s… punched out of him by Hass.”

Fenech also said he had never in his life made homophobic comments about Savva.

“Never,” Fenech stressed.

“Not once.

“At the open workouts I gave him a comic book because he’s a comical trainer, that’s it.”

Sunday’s incident was the culmination of years of bad blood between the two men, which escalated right throughout the week of Tszyu’s championship bout against Brian Mendoza.

At a Monday open workout, Savva accused Fenech of being “above the law”, while also suggesting “he thinks everyone could train and fight like Jeff Fenech, and that makes them Jeff Fenech”.

Then at the fight week press conference, things escalated further — with Hamdan even suggested that after beating Cuschieri, he wanted to fight Savva – despite the trainer having not fought in four years.

Asked on Monday if that was a possiblity, Fenech laughed: “No, because I don’t want to see Ben get hurt”.

When asked to explain where the rivalry originated, Savva said it followed comments he made about former Fenech charge, Brock Jarvis.

“This relates back to me making one comment once about Brock Jarvis needs to reassess after being dropped by the Mexican,” he explained.

“I said Brock Jarvis probably needs to reassess and refine a few things before he steps up again.

“Just because I could see that he was a little bit vulnerable and as it turns out I was right.

“Ever since Jeff has hated me, attacked me, no idea why. He keeps embarrassing himself, keeps making himself look like an idiot on a loop.

“There you go I’ve got no idea.

“What I said was very polite.

“I said refine a few things before he steps up in level and because I said that two years of pure hatred, he’s a bitter man.

“I don’t even get it.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Savva said: “The only reason he hates me is I’m the only person who says what every other boxing coach in Australia believes.

“For two years now the guy has been attacking me for no reason.

“Lots of homophobic things which in 2023 seems very out there but Jeff Fenech is above the law as I’ve said before.

“He gets away with it.”