Tyson Fury eked out a points victory in one of his most controversial fights of his career.
Footage of Tyson Fury’s controversial fight against John McDermott that many believe he lost has emerged ahead of his undisputed clash against Oleksandr Uysk.
Fury puts his WBC world title on the line when he takes on unified champion Usyk in their blockbuster undisputed showdown in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 18.
The British star is one fight away from undisputed status as he looks to capture the WBA (super), IBF and WBO belts.
But the course of his career could have been very, very different had he lost the eighth fight of his professional career.
Back in 2009, Fury fought McDermott for the English heavyweight title.
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The self-proclaimed ‘Gypsy King’ claimed a narrow points win that fans and critics alike think he lost.
McDermott, who went into the bout off the back of two losses, put the pressure on Fury and bulled him around the ring.
However, his efforts were ultimately in vain as referee Terry O’Connor scored the contest 98-92 in favour of Fury.
Speaking in 2020, McDermott bemoaned the decision not going his way as he revealed his post-fight struggles.
“Of course it still annoys me. I’m not saying I would have gone onto fight for the world title but it would have helped me, at the time. A bit more money when there wasn’t much money in boxing. He’s a millionaire now and I’m struggling,” he said.
“They thought I’d be an easy fight. They didn’t think I could dig deep.
“I remember walking up to the punch bag and my trainer drew a line at 6’9” and said: ‘This is how tall Tyson Fury is’.
“I remember thinking: ‘How am I going to hit the bloke?'”
Fury had an off night against McDermott – something he can’t afford to have against Usyk.
He was also underwhelming in his victory over Francis Ngannou and will need to be at the top of his game if he wants to become undisputed champion.
