Tyson Fury has admitted that he should have done one thing differently before his defeat against Oleksandr Usyk in May - even though it would’ve cost him £10m.
Fury, 36, will look to avenge his loss against Usyk, 37, when the pair go toe-to-toe in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday evening.
Back in May, both Fury and Usyk came into their first bout without previously tasting defeat as a professional.
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Despite both men having moments of success, Usyk edged the fight with the judges awarding him a split decision points victory, returning scores of 115-112 to Usyk, 113-114 to Fury and 114-113 to the Ukrainian.
The first fight was previously scheduled for February 17 but had to be pushed back to May 18 due to Fury suffering a cut in sparring.
However, if the self-proclaimed ‘Gypsy King’ was to further postpone the bout, he would've faced a potential fine as a result.
But Fury has now confessed that he “would have pushed it back a little bit” despite the proposed economic punishment.
"This time, it's been a lot easier," Fury told Sky Sports after arriving in Riyadh on Monday.
"I've done lots of sparring, and I've been able to train properly, whereas before, it's no secret that I didn't do a lot of sparring hence, I had a massive bounty on my cut eye.
“Thinking sensible, maybe I would have pushed it back a little bit and cost myself £10m, but it doesn't really matter because we're here now, and I'm going to do the job on Saturday night.”
Despite the less-than-ideal circumstances in the lead-up to the first bout, Fury cut a confident figure in the ring last time out and could even be seen showboating despite Usyk posing a relentless threat.
The former undisputed cruiserweight champion almost knocked Fury out in round nine when the Englishman received a standing count after being caught with a barrage of punches.
"I don't believe the showboating cost me the fight, but I need to be more focused this time and not do as much," Fury said.
"One of the commentators picked up on it and said, 'Has anybody ever seen Tyson Fury clown this much, even against lower-level opposition?'.
"That's how easy it was for me in there, and you can get complacent because of that."
How to watch Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk for free
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To watch Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk go head to head, there are three options.
1) You can watch the rematch for free on DAZN. All you need to do is sign up for a seven-day free trial and simply cancel your subscription once the event is over. You’ll be able to stream the match on a range of devices including Playstation, Chromecast, and Smart TV with more coverage than any other broadcaster. Once your free trial ends, a pay-per-view subscription will cost £24.99 per month and gives you access to over 150 fights every year, but alternatively you have the option to cancel before you are charged for your second month.
2) You can also tune in live on Sky Sports Box Office (Sky channel 491). The event is priced at £24.95 for Sky customers in the UK and $27.95 if you’re based in the Republic of Ireland. Sadly Sky does not offer free trials, but Sky subscribers can book the match here and if you’re new to Sky, you can sign up here.
3) Alternatively, you can watch the fight on TNT Sports with a Prime Video subscription (free for the first month then £8.99/ month), provided you have discovery+ (from £3.99/ month) as part of your subscription.
Topics: Boxing, Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Saudi Arabia
Luke Davies