John Fury has praised Tyson Fury for getting into the ‘best shape of his life’ but said his team should have been more cautious in training, claiming he would have focused on ‘body sparring and technical work’ ahead of the undisputed title fight.
Tyson’s highly-anticipated bout with Oleksandr Usyk had been scheduled to take place in Riyadh on February 17 but was postponed after the Gypsy King sustained an injury during camp.
Tyson, 35, suffered a severe cut above his right eye while sparring Croatian heavyweight Argon Smakici on February 2 during his training camp in the Saudi Arabian capital.
Speaking to Mail Sport, via Freebets, John described the incident as a ‘freak accident’ but said he would have taken a different approach to training if he was involved in the Gypsy King’s camp.
John also hit out at Usyk’s team for calling Tyson a coward and referred to their comments as ‘total bulls***’ before rubbishing claims there is a ‘mole’ in his son’s camp.
John Fury has praised Tyson Fury for getting into the ‘best shape of his life’ but said his team should have focused on ‘body sparring and technical work’ ahead of the undisputed title fight
When discussing the undisputed title fight with Mail Sport last month, John said Tyson would need to shed some weight from the Francis Ngannou fight and make stylistic changes
John was very impressed with Tyson’s shape after he revealed his physique on Instagram
The Gypsy King’s S&C coach Kristian Blacklock said Tyson was in the best shape of his life ahead of the Usyk fight – claiming he was ‘stronger and learner’ than ever before
When discussing the undisputed title fight with Mail Sport last month, John said Tyson would have to make stylistic changes to be in with a chance of beating Usyk as he felt the Ukrainian was a ‘world class boxer’ with superb ‘coordination’.
John said he thought Usyk was a ‘tricky boxer’ with a good ‘intellect’ and that he worried Tyson would come up sort if he tried to use same style he deployed during his trilogy bout with Deontay Wilder.
He also hit out at Tyson’s weight ahead of the Francis Ngannou fight, claiming his camp appeared to be a ‘total joke’ and that the Gypsy King would need to slim down ahead of the undisputed title fight.
When asked how he thought Tyson looked before the February 17 clash with Usyk was postponed, John said: ‘I made it clear they would have to impress me and hands up, they have.’
John went on to add: ‘He looks well doesn’t he? I was very sick about the cut because when I saw the shape he was in, he must have dedicated himself and that pleases me immensely.
‘I’ve always said 70 per cent of Tyson is too much for Usyk, but we look like we’re getting more than 70 per cent there. He looks the best shape he’s been in, since he won the title.
‘I was impressed, they’ve done the work, so good luck to them, he looked in good shape for the time he had to as well, which was short notice. Incredible effort from Tyson.’
John wasn’t alone in his feelings, boxing fans across the world were amazed by Tyson’s transformation and deeply saddened by the postponement of the undisputed title clash.
John hopes Tyson maintains his new physique for the rearranged bout on May 18
John has rubbished the conspiracy theories around the cut Tyson sustained in sparring
However, there was no option but to postpone the fight – which would unify the division for the first time since Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield in March 1999 – following Tyson’s cut.
But, that didn’t sit well with some boxing fans. They felt the Gypsy King had faked the injury to delay the undisputed title fight after sources stated he was struggling in camp.
However, Tyson and his team denied such claims and footage emerged soon after showing the Gypsy King being hit with a glancing elbow that caused the laceration that required multiple stitches.
When asked about the conspiracy theories, John told Mail Sport: ‘They’ve got to look in the mirror, question themselves and give their head a wobble and think properly instead of what their heart wants to think.
‘It’s all rubbish to me, if people want you to do that type of stuff that badly, they’re going to believe in anything. Unfortunately, that’s just the case today. People are fickle, they’re your mate one day and not the next in this business. So let them do what they’re going to do.’
However, John did say he would have handled camp slightly differently if he was in charge – stating he would have done ‘body sparring and technical work’ ahead of a fight of ‘this magnitude’.
‘It was a freak accident’, John said. ‘For my money, I’d have done things a little bit differently, with a fight of this magnitude so close, I’d have been doing body sparring and technical work with some long-range practice, but who am I? I don’t know, do I?’.
In the aftermath of the postponement, Usyk’s longtime manager branded Tyson a coward, and claimed he had intentionally sustained the injury in order to avoid facing off against the Ukrainian.
Tyson suffered a severe cut above his right eye while sparring Croatian heavyweight Argon Smakici on February 2 during his training camp in the Saudi Arabian capital
‘Tyson Fury is a f****** coward who will do anything not to face Usyk, and he asked his b**** to hit him with a frying pan in his brow,’ Egis Klimas said. ‘You can quote me word for word for that. When the news was brought to Oleksandr, he just smiled. That is all he did. He is too mentally strong to break.’
John was furious with Klimas’ comments and said Usyk’s team were ’embarrassing themselves’ by throwing out ‘bulls***’ accusations’.
‘I’m surprised that men of their experience at the top level, being around top fighters can even talk like that,’ John said. ‘It’s absolute rubbish, it’s silly and they are just making themselves look stupid.
‘They’re embarrassing themselves with those kinds of accusations. They’re worried, they’ve always been worried. When they’ve seen the shape Tyson’s in, they’ve thought, ‘hang on, we’ve dropped a clanger here’. They thought they’d see a Tyson who hasn’t trained.
‘But you know what, that’s where you can get caught out, thinking you know too much. Usyk said he can’t fight in April because it interferes with his training schedule. What does that mean?
‘His team make themselves look stupid. They were frightened they were afraid, they knew their man was going to get smashed to bits? I saw the shape Tyson was in. He was in for it, Usyk.
‘All those people cheering Usyk on, thinking he’s going to do the job, let me tell you, he can’t do the job. Tyson’s tunnel visioned and as Fury’s we thrive off the hate.
John hit out at Egis Klimas for calling Tyson a coward and referred to his comments as ‘bulls***’
John finished by touching on claims Tyson has a ‘mole in his camp’. He said he doesn’t ‘buy into’ such rumours as he believe the man who has been proposed as the mole is a ‘nice fellow’
‘All those who think that a little blown up middle weight is doing the business, forget about it. I’ll be lucky to see Usyk be fighting in May. Tyson will be ready. Can Usyk be ready?
‘Saying Tyson’s wife hit him with a frying pan… what an idiot. Accusations and bullshit, the sparring partner has said what’s happened, why don’t they just let them get on with it. Accidents happen. Talking rubbish is not going to change anything, so shut it, keep it buttoned, and let them fight on the 18th May. Then it’ll be decided.’
John finished by touching on claims Tyson has a ‘mole in his camp’. The Gypsy King’s father said he doesn’t ‘buy into’ such rumours as he believe the man who has been proposed as the mole [Greg Marriott] is a ‘nice fellow’.
John said: ‘I think it’s total bullshit, these names flying around, the person who’s been named there is a nice fellow, I don’t buy into that.’