Source: Alamy Stock Photo.
Jamie Sheldon spoke to Betway and revealed the reaction from Team Fury following the defeat to Usyk.
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What was Tyson Fury like before and after losing the fight to Oleksandr Usyk?
I think Andy Lee plays a part (in relaxing fighters before a bout). Everybody seems switched on. Even with Paddy Donavon and the people he has around him have a lot of knowledge in that room alongside SugarHill. He seemed on it. I can’t compare that to any other Tyson Fury fight because I wasn’t there for the first Oleksandr Usyk fight.
He seemed fine before the fight. I was with him when Billy Joe Saunders fought Canelo Alvarez, and he was a lot more jokey and having a laugh because he wasn’t fighting. That night he seemed serious and looked up for it.
There were tonnes of people in there (the changing room after the fight). You had Spencer Brown, SugarHill Steward, the Fury brothers, and obviously the media people. A lot of people thought Fury should have beaten Oleksandr Usyk but for me, it is one of them. I got asked ‘who do you think won?’ I said, ‘I’m not sure, I don’t know who won’ and people were saying ‘what do you mean?’
When I am in the corner, I am looking at Tyson’s face and am looking to see if he is damaged, that is all I am focused on. I’m not looking at what he is throwing, and I am not looking at what is coming back. I can’t give an honest opinion straight after a fight. I have done corners before with Tony Bellew but he obviously had his own cutman so I would just wrap his hands and help in the corner. When I was in his corner, I was looking at the damage on his face because I wasn’t the one taking care of it so I could score the fight better. When I have a specific role, I am focusing on whether somebody’s face is marking up or bleeding.
I think the other people were similar, so you get drawn into Tyson’s good points. When Bellew fought, I am sat back watching it and noticing the big shots and good work rather than what is coming back.
Who called you out for saying I don’t know who won the Usyk-Fury rematch?
I think it was one of Tyson Fury’s brothers. They looked a bit puzzled. It’s hard to explain at that moment of time. There were a few people in the changing room who thought it was the right result. But at the time it is emotional as people have trained for that long and think they have done well. It’s great after a win in the changing room but after a loss it’s a weird one. You have people not speaking, some frustrated, others going mad so it’s a mixed bag of emotions.
Do you think he will come back and fight again?
I asked Tyson last week how retirement was treating him and he just said he was busier than he had ever been. What that means, I don’t know but I’m going to try and see him next week but I’m not going to ask him as Tyson will be sick of being asked about it. There aren’t many retired boxers who wouldn’t come back for the amount of money they could give him.
If Tony Bellew got offered £100m for a super fight and to come out of retirement, I know he would be asking me for a box of tape for his hands. But it depends. I saw a video of Tyson training Paris; he’s not doing what people think Tyson is doing by just coming back for a fight. He’s not that old and the more time that goes on, they’ll pay him a lot more so is it a tactic from Tyson? Who knows.