Tyson Fury has been slammed for not taking fight camp seriously before his heavyweight title defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
The Gypsy King faltered for the first time in his professional career on Saturday, losing through split decision to the Ukrainian. Fury seemed to have the slight upper hand until a nightmare ninth-round where he suffered a bloodied nose and a knockdown, just about hanging on until the bell.
The judges scored 115-112, 113-114, and 114-113 in favour of Usyk, sparking debate over whether Fury has what it takes to avenge his loss in their October rematch. Former Irish boxer Joe Egan believes the 35-year-old has the potential to do so, but launched a scathing attack on Fury’s half-hearted training camp in the build-up to the Saudi Arabia bout.
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Talking to boxing legend Carl Froch, Egan contrasted Froch’s dedication with Fury’s seemingly lax approach, claiming his lack of fitness cost him dearly against Usyk and even Francis Ngannou previously.
Egan didn’t hold back on Froch on Fighting, saying: “It was a close fight but it was only 50% of Tyson Fury. He wasn’t fit for that fight. I don’t care what anybody says. He didn’t prepare properly for that fight. His training camp was broken up.
“He was out in Dubai watching [Francis] Ngannou and [Anthony] Joshua nine weeks before the fight. Seven weeks before the fight he was doing a press conference in Manchester without Usyk, Usyk didn’t break his camp.
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(Image: PA)
“Then four weeks before the fight he’s out visiting his family in Morecambe. You [Froch] were the ultimate spartan, you knew the sacrifices you’ve got to make in a 12-week training camp but he didn’t make them sacrifices.”
Egan pointed out that even at 57, Mike Tyson is showing more professionalism as he prepares for his bout with Jake Paul, a former YouTuber. With Iron Mike facing off against Paul, who is 30 years his junior, on July 20, the heavyweight legend has consistently posted clips from his gruelling workouts since the fight was announced.
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Egan continued: “Mike Tyson hasn’t broken his camp for a YouTuber, you understand? That’s how seriously he’s taking his fight with Jake Paul but I don’t think Tyson Fury took his fight seriously. I think he believed the hype that his brilliance was going to beat Usyk.”
He also took a swipe at John Fury, stating: “Then he had his father in the corner giving him instructions over Sugar Hill and Andy Lee who know more about boxing than he ever will know. It was a comical act with John in the corner and I think it distracted Tyson.”