Tyson Fury on Loss to Oleksandr Usyk: “that’s what happens when you have too much fun.”

By: Sean Crose

“It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be,” Tyson Fury recently stated on the Furocity podcast. He was referring, of course, to the man who handed him his first defeat, Oleksandr Usyk. Although Usyk earned a decision win, he almost put the the towering Fury to the mat at one point in their 12 round undisputed heavyweight championship throwdown. No matter. Fury claimed he lost to the skilled Ukrainian because he may have been having too good a time.

“I was lighting him up with three-, four-punch combinations, laughing at him,” said Fury. “My problem in that fight, I probably had too much fun. It was probably too easy. At times, it was too easy.” Fury, who has a history of making eyebrow raising statements, certainly had his moments in the battle with Usyk. Indeed, it looked for a time like he might well simply pull away from his opponent with his jab and his fluidity. Usyk, however, was not about to let his dream of becoming undisputed heavyweight champion disappear into the Saudi Arabian night.

Fury, however, feels that it was more a case of him losing than of Usyk grinding out the win. “It was like I was in there with a local amateur boxer,” he continued, “and I was just enjoying it too much, messing around…that’s what happens when you have too much fun.” While Fury is sometime seen as having too much fun outside the ring, no one’s ever accused him of letting a victory slip away. Then again, the man hadn’t lost a single fight before meeting Usyk.

Fortunately for Fury, he’s got a rematch with Usyk set up for December in Saudi Arabia. “I’ve got to get him out of there,” he said of Usyk, “because I’m not going to get a decision, which is unfortunate because it’s hard enough to win a fight just by winning it, never mind knowing you’ve got to knock someone out.”

Team Usyk of course, is taking Fury’s words with a grain of salt. Usyk put on a brilliant performance during the first (and up till now, only) fight. Despite what Fury might say, the two division kingpin (Usyk was undisputed cruiserweight champion before moving up to heavyweight) fought nothing like “a local amateur” in the first battle. Fury knows as much himself. That’s why there’s no doubt Fury will enter the rematch knowing how big a challenge awaits him.

“But I’m confident,” said Fury, “and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”