No professional opponent had beaten Tyson Fury until Oleksandr Usyk’s brilliant display in May saw the Ukrainian become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
It was the first time Fury’s hand had not been raised at the end of a fight since Russian amateur Maksim Babanin defeated him in 2007.
The Briton’s unbeaten record was a great source of pride. But going to the rematch, which will take place this Saturday live Sky Sports FundFury has not been defeated.
“I was undefeated for 17 years as a boxer. That’s a long time,” Fury said Sky Sports.
“I didn’t really think about it. It hasn’t affected me, I haven’t done anything different from what I would have done if I had made the decision.
“I wouldn’t have done anything fancy different if I had made the decision or not. I haven’t really thought about it to be fair. I don’t even focus on the past, I just focus on the day at hand.”
Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury face off on Saturday live on Sky Sports Box Office
But he couldn’t deny that the reverse gave him a new edge for the rematch.
He said: “Sometimes I think, if I go for a run at something, I think right this (person) has a decision on me, I want to reverse it in the return leg.
“Obviously I’m competitive, I’m competitive. That’s how I think.”
Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who promotes Fury, sees a fighter fired up by the first loss. “I think it really upset him and so he’s been training a lot harder than before,” Arum said. Sky Sports.
“In other words, he’s always trained hard, but the dedication for this fight is far and above what it’s been for any fight except maybe the second (Deontay) Wilder fight.”
Famously, after a controversial draw in his first fight with Wilder, Fury stormed the American and stopped him in their rematch.
Undercard fighter Isaac Lowe, who has trained alongside Fury since he was young and knows him better than most, is convinced the former champion will be in for this adversity as well.
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Fury promises to cause “a lot of pain” in his rematch with Usyk
“Look at his track record, when he’s been let down or whatever, he’s always come back and knocked the guy out,” Lowe said. Sky Sports.
“I’m expecting the best version of Tyson Fury. There’s nothing too different that he needs to do right. Just little things, keeping more focus and concentration and I think little changes here and there will make a difference in that I expect him to go and do a number this time.
“Everyone has written him off throughout his career. When he got to 30, before he boxed (Wladimir) Klitschko, when it was the Wilder fight, this and that, and he always comes back against the odds and does it.
“What a scene to make this time.”
It was a high-pressure, high-profile event when Fury first fought Usyk. But Fury’s youth gives another indication of how he will respond to this loss.
In 2006 Tyson Fury boxed David Price in the Northwest Finals of the ABA National Championship. This may sound like a minor issue, but on the amateur circuit at the time it was as big as it got.
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Moses Itauma says Fury’s mindset has completely changed as he trained as a ‘lone wolf’ and is coming for revenge
Macaulay McGowan then trained with Fury at Jimmy Egan’s amateur boxing club.
Thinking back to that moment McGowan said Sky Sports: “It was just the North West final. It was massive. Tyson wanted to go up to GB. Obviously David Price was an international, a Commonwealth gold medallist. He was going to the Olympics. All of a sudden this 17, 18-year-old kid came out of nowhere, started trashing him on Boxing News and all that.
“A few weeks later it came out that David Price didn’t even bother about the ABA, but then he saw Tyson trash him on Boxing News.
“It was a big fight. It was like an undisputed world title fight, I remember it today. He wanted the 2008 Olympic spot and he was given the chance to prove it.”
Fury lost that decision to Price. “He was a little down, (thinking:) ‘I’m never going to do this, I’m never going to do that.'” Then he’s back in the gym, training.
“He won the ABAs and went pro after that. It’s like water off a duck’s back. It just hit. Don’t get me wrong, he’s got his low grades, he’s dead, he’s disappointed, he was devastated. You don’t think he wanted to feel that again , so he hugged and went even harder.
“I can see Tyson saying, ‘No, you’re not having it this time,’ and putting his head down.
“I think he’ll come back stronger. For sure.”
The massive heavyweight rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury will be broadcast live on Saturday, December 21 at Sky Sports Fund. Book Usyk v Fury 2 now!
