"Every morning at 6 AM" - When Tyson Fury channeled his inner Khabib Nurmagomedov, bragging about wrestling bears
Back in 2018, Tyson Fury was gearing up to face Deontay Wilder for the very first time, and allegedly channeled Khabib Nurmagomedov's intensity during his training camp. That is, at least, according to one of his pre-fight interviews, which has resurfaced on YouTube.
Although 'The Gypsy King' is a boxer and has never been anything, he jokingly claimed to have been wrestling bears at early morning hours in response to a reporter's question about anything new he was doing with preparation. Fury said:
"Yes, I'm wrestling with bears. Every morning at 6 AM."
Check out Tyson Fury joke about wrestling with bears:
The joke itself is based on the fact that Nurmagomedov used to wrestle bear cubs during his toddler years. Fury, however, never made the jump to MMA, where wrestling is useful. Instead, he became one of this generation's greatest heavyweight boxers, with a mastery in clinching.
As for his first fight with Wilder, which was contested for the American's WBC heavyweight title, it ended in a controversial split-draw, which drew widespread disapproval. Boxing fans were divided over the verdict. Many felt that Fury had done enough to win, having outboxed Wilder for most of the bout.
However, Wilder also had support from fans who felt he had been robbed of a knockout. He had dropped Fury in round 9, but 'The Gypsy King' beat the referee's 10 count. In round 12, however, he was floored badly by a combination and seemed to have been unconscious.
While Fury beat the 10 count once more, the referee was accused of giving him a slow count by some. Nevertheless, the split draw remained the official result, but both men would fight again twice more, with Fury winning the first rematch via corner stoppage, and the trilogy bout with an emphatic 11th round knockout.
Tyson Fury has wrestled with Darren Till before
Although Tyson Fury has no real intention of venturing into MMA, despite the years he's spent pseudo-challenging UFC heavyweight champions, he did take the time to educate himself on the wrestling and grappling front by training with fellow Englishman and former UFC middleweight Darren Till.
Check out Tyson Fury wrestling with Darren Till:
Unfortunately, nothing concrete came of their training session, as Fury remained committed to boxing, despite later brushing off challenges from reigning UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones.