Tyson Fury insists he felt no disappointment at all when he lost the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world to Oleksandr Usyk in May.
But he was sad as he watched Anthony Joshua being crushed by Daniel Dubois last month.
“I feel sorry for him at the minute, being cleaned out in the last fight in five rounds, so he’ll have to do that again – or not – and then decide his future. I’ve said after every [Anthony Joshua] loss I’ve felt deflated.
“When an adversary loses, and it’s not to you, you do feel down and depressed about it. I felt sad for him. It was sad to see a worthy opponent lose his crown.”
But Fury versus Joshua is a super fight that British boxing fans would like to see, before it’s too late, and Fury says he’s up for it.
Anthony Joshua after being knocked down by Daniel Dubois in September. Pic: Reuters
“I’d still fight him whether he’s got five losses, 10 losses or 20. It’s not important because, at this stage of our careers, it’s about having good fights. I think it would still be an interesting fight for the paying pundit.”
Fury says that when he faces Usyk for the second time on 21 December in Riyadh for three of the four belts, he is changing nothing except the result.
‘B******s that comes with boxing’
“I do exactly the same thing, but don’t get a standing count in round nine and I’ve won the fight comfortably. Yeah, I’m gonna change not getting a knockdown.”
Fury jokes that it feels horrible to be the challenger and not the champion. “It’s really not important to me honestly. All the glitz and glamour… it’s all the b******s that comes with boxing. I’m here to do a job, get a pay cheque and go home.”
For this second fight, the element of surprise on either side has gone. They both have a fairly good idea of what the other can do. But was he impressed with how hard Usyk came back at him in that first meeting?
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Usyk triumphed over Tyson Fury in May
‘He’s gonna have to pay’
“I wasn’t impressed because he’s a boxer and that’s what he’s paid to do. He did his job and got a very small razor edge win, but as I’ve always said… winning by an inch or a mile is still winning.”
“He actually put the rematch back, I was really looking forward to having a good build-up to Halloween, bonfire night, Christmas and New Year. But he’s f***** all that up for me, so now I’ll only get three days of Christmas. He’s gonna have to pay for that!”
Fury talks money, and buying socks, with Jacquie Beltrao
Fury is already thinking of what happens next and it’s not a fight with Dubois, the new IBF champion, or Joshua. Instead he’d prefer another head-to-head with the Ukrainian.
Despite claiming he’s not bothered by history, the titles, or anything much outside the actual boxing, another fight with Usyk would have significance. It would give him a unique place in the history of the sport.
“I’d rather have a trilogy with Usyk, and then it would be 1-1, and I’d be the only heavyweight in history to have three trilogies. That would be quite impressive.”
The emergence of Saudi Arabia as a boxing world capital in the last few years has changed the landscape of the sport. The money on offer far exceeds what they’d normally expect to get in the UK.
Money is a ‘turn-on’
Fury doesn’t need the money and barely spends it. But he admits it gives him a thrill. “It’s just the excitement of earning it, it’s a turn-on. But when you’ve got it, it’s like ‘aaahhhh’… on to the next one now.
“I didn’t need an Usyk fight to go and buy what I want. I could do that at any given moment in the last 10 years. I’ve not bought one thing not even a pair of trainers, nothing. They were free… I did recently buy myself some new socks, only because they were on offer!”
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So Fury doesn’t need the money, the kudos of the victory, the hoopla around the sport. He would have us believe that none of it matters.
So why at 36, does he still do it?
“I love it. I love the thrill of the fight. I love the boxing, I like the training, it keeps me fit and out of trouble and on a straight and narrow path.”
Usyk vs Fury 2 is on Sky Sports Box Office on December 21.