Tyson Fury's former sparring partner, Michael Hunter, believes the Briton was trying to lay 'traps' and do 'gypsy things' during his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night.
Fury saw his unbeaten record ended by Usyk, with the Ukrainian winning on points after the bout went the distance in Saudi Arabia.
It was a huge blow for the 35-year-old, who is now set to consider his options amid talk of a potential rematch later in the year.
Hunter knows all about Fury, having previously sparred with the boxing star.
Boxing news: Tyson Fury's former sparring partner says he was doing 'gypsy things' during his bout with Oleksandr Usyk
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And now, speaking to Boxing Social, he's expressed a belief that Fury was attempting to lay 'traps' and do 'gypsy things' during the big event on Saturday night.
"Tyson Fury has strong mental abilities, but he does a lot of traps and tricks and gypsy things," he said.
"I just think that ended on the night.
“When you’re in there with somebody like that at a high calibre, the games are a little bit different.
"You can’t really play too many games like that."
Fury showboated during the clash, with the Briton later admitting he enjoyed himself.
He did, however, concede that he would probably cut down on the theatrics in the event of a potential rematch.
Fury said after the showdown that he felt Usyk was only given the win due to sympathy for Ukraine amid the ongoing war in the country.
Those comments sparked a backlash, though the heavyweight star has since been defended by promoter Frank Warren.
And Hunter thinks Usyk did deserve to come out on top, despite Fury's complaints.
“I thought Usyk would lose the first half of the fight but go on and win the whole fight," he added.
"[I knew] he would have to win a couple of those rounds in the first half of the fight. I knew he would win the back half in better fashion and it was exactly as I said.
“Usyk has been competing at a high level, while Tyson Fury has been spotty for years.
"He’s been dropped seven times in his career, while Usyk has never been dropped and has won everything in the amateurs and as a cruiserweight.
"I just know competing at that level and having that type of mental fortitude would push him through."
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Boxing news: Tyson Fury showboated during his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night
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Meanwhile, former boxing star Carl Frampton thinks Fury 'threw away' the fight with Usyk.
He does, however, think Fury is capable of winning their expected rematch later in the year.
“I think he can win a rematch. I think he threw that fight away.
“I don’t wanna do a disservice to Usyk – he won it. At the halfway point they came to me in the punditry spot, and I had the fight four [rounds to] two to Fury. Usyk was hurt to the body; he walked into a few uppercuts.
"I made the point that it was going to be hard for Usyk to come back and I couldn’t see a way, really, but he dug deep and done exactly that, and I scored the fight to Usyk by a round – six rounds each and the ‘knockdown’ was the difference for me.
Boxing news: Tyson Fury embraced Oleksandr Usyk after losing their fight in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night
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“If he does win it, I still think you have to have him as one of the top heavyweights [ever]. He’d certainly be in the top 10, anyway, of great heavyweights.
"If he beats him in the rematch it’s a massive fight, and there’s another fight then if he beats him in the rematch, because both men aren’t like Leo Santa Cruz – they’d like to settle the score, not just [having won] one each.
“I love Usyk. I love everything about him – he’s a phenomenal fighter.
“I [also] think it was good for [Fury] to be light. The output was high. That suited him.”
