What fight did Tyson Fury expect to be his toughest? Revisiting the first title win of 'The Gypsy King'
Tyson Fury expected his 2015 fight with Wladimir Klitschko to be the toughest of his career.
'The Gypsy King' is currently one of the greatest boxers alive today. In October, he's slated to return to the ring opposite Francis Ngannou in a crossroads clash. However, none of his current success would've come if he didn't upset 'Dr. Steelhammer'.
The British boxer reflected on their 2015 fight in a recent interview with Wow Hydrate. Speaking to the outlet, Fury admitted that he expected his battle with Klitschko to be a challenging one. It made sense, as the Ukrainian was the reigning heavyweight champion, and hadn't lost since 2004.
However, as many fans likely remember, the fight was anything but competitive. The longtime heavyweight champion had difficulty landing anything on Tyson Fury, as the British contender won by unanimous decision. What was expected to be one of the toughest fights, was instead one of the easiest.
Reflecting on the fight, Fury stated in the interview:
“They’re all pretty tough fights and all important, every one of them. Cause if you slip up here, you go back and got to start again. I think the one for me that I expected to be the toughest fight [was] against Wladimir Klitschko, who was undefeated in eleven years, it was one of the easiest fights... With that fear factor, I went in there and I boxed unbelievable. Then I took his best shots and I was like ‘is that it?’ That was supposed to be my hardest fight. I prepared mentally, physically and emotionally for it to be my hardest fight.”
Was there a rematch between Tyson Fury and Wladimir Klitschko?
Despite a lot of talk, Tyson Fury and Wladimir Klitschko never faced off again.
Given the monumental upset, a rematch between the two heavyweight legends made a lot of sense. Quickly, 'Dr. Steelhammer' exercised their rematch clause, making a second fight a contractually necessary bout.
However, the bout never ended up happening. Despite multiple scheduled dates for the rematch it never happened due to Fury's mental issues. Following that upset win in 2015, he famously struggled with substance abuse and health issues.
Tyson Fury even ballooned up to 400 pounds and announced his retirement. Wladimir Klitschko later went on to face Anthony Joshua in 2017, losing by knockout. That defeat to 'AJ' wound up being the final fight of his career, meaning a rematch with ''The Gypsy King' is permanently off the table.