Tyson Fury’s old sparring partner Michael Hunter said the ‘Gypsy King’ spent too much time trying to set ‘gypsy’ traps for Oleksandr Usyk during his defeat.
The heavyweight champ kissed goodbye to his perfect record and the chance to be crowned the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis, after a split-decision loss to the Ukrainian ace. Throughout the bout, Fury was all about the mind games, pulling the same stunts that saw him triumph over Wladimir Klitschko, by making faces and slinging his arms behind his back, to the delight of the fans.
Fury’s antics inside the ropes have always been part of his charm and strategy, but they didn’t faze Usyk’s laser-like concentration. When quizzed on where Fury slipped up against the Olympic champion, Hunter, who suffered his only professional loss to Usyk in 2017, pointed the finger at Fury’s sly moves and mind tricks.
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During an interview with Boxing Social, Hunter said: “Tyson Fury has strong mental abilities, but he does a lot of traps and tricks and gypsy things,” reports the Mirror. “I just think that ended on the night.
“When you’re in there with somebody like that at a high calibre, the games are a little bit different. You can’t really play too many games like that.”
Fury narrowly missed out on victory, with all three judges presenting different scorecards. They chalked it up 115-112 and 114-113 for Usyk, while one judge had Fury nicking it 114-113.
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(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Following his post-match interview, Fury expressed his belief that he had done enough to secure victory, even hinting that Usyk may have been granted his win due to the ongoing Russian invasion of his home country. However, Hunter is part of a large group in boxing who believe the result was the right one.
Hunter said: “I thought Usyk would lose the first half of the fight but go on and win the whole fight. [I knew] he would have to win a couple of those rounds in the first half of the fight.
“I knew he would win the back half in better fashion and it was exactly as I said. Usyk has been competing at a high level, while Tyson Fury has been spotty for years.
(Image: YouTube/Boxing Social)
“He’s been dropped seven times in his career, while Usyk has never been dropped and has won everything in the amateurs and as a cruiserweight. I just know competing at that level and having that type of mental fortitude would push him through.”
The stage seems set for a Usyk-Fury rematch, potentially as soon as October. Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, has already confirmed he will enact the rematch clause should Fury give the thumbs up.
The ex-WBC heavyweight champion remains non-committal on a second showdown, opting instead to focus on rest and recuperation before plotting his next move with Warren.