Tyson Fury makes alarming $10 million confession about first Oleksandr Usyk fight but later changes his tune: "Not true"

A pair of Tyson Fury interviews have made the rounds on social media, with 'The Gypsy King' addressing his first Oleksandr Usyk bout. The first interview saw him claim to not have sparred much at all due to fears of reopening the cut above his eye, while the second interview featured him asserting that he did indeed spar.

The statements were contrasting, with Fury even claiming that he was so ill-prepared for the first matchup that he would have withdrawn from it were it not for Turki Alalshikh's reported $10 million fine. So, in light of the financial penalty in place, Fury elected to fight.

"I'm sparring now, I've been able to train properly where before, there's no secret, I didn't do a lot of sparring. Hence, I had a massive bounty on my cut eye. Thinking sensible, maybe I wouldn't have [fought], I'd have pushed it back a little bit and I'd have cost myself $10 million, but yeah. Doesn't really matter because we're here now and we're gonna do the job on Saturday night."

Check out Tyson Fury's initial claims:

Naturally, Fury's words led to confusion regarding whether or not he sparred for the first Usyk bout, as he made it seem like his preparation was so suboptimal that only a steep financial penalty is what convinced him to remain on the card. This sparked rumors about him not sparring at all.

With no other choice, Fury was forced to address his previous remarks in a subsequent interview where he was asked, point-blank, if he hadn't actually sparred for the first fight.

"Not true. I did do some sparring, but not as much as I'd want to, let's just say that. I've never... don't want to make any excuses, Michelle. But just let's say the real Tyson Fury will turn up on Saturday night."

Check out the second interview:

Whether true or not, Fury will have his most anticipated bout in history against Usyk this Saturday, as he will look to avenge his first-ever professional loss and capture the unified heavyweight title.

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Tyson Fury was criticized for his approach to the rematch

While Tyson Fury has promised to turn up in top condition on Saturday, his rhetoric that he needs to change nothing about his strategy and tactics hasn't sat well with some. Veteran sports commentator Ian Darke has been critical of 'The Gypsy King's' words, saying the following on X/Twitter:

"I see Tyson Fury feels he has to do nothing different in his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. Smacks of complacency. He better had because he was well beaten in that first fight."

With just two days remaining, Fury will look to prove his doubters wrong.