Exclusive: Fury's Strength Could Prove His Undoing, Says Former Opponent Swaby

Tyson Fury’s greatest strength could also prove his undoing during Saturday’s re-match with Oleksandr Usyk, according to one of The Gypsy King’s former opponents.

Having both shared the ring with Fury and then been invited to spar alongside him, Lee Swaby enjoys an in-depth understanding of both the 36-year-old’s skill set and psyche. 

It is the latter which Swaby believes is truly responsible for catapulting Fury to the very top of his chosen profession, enabling him to fully unlock the potential he displayed at the beginning of his career and win the WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts before losing to Usyk earlier this year. 

But, speaking exclusively to SportsBoom.com, Swaby also highlighted the seemingly unshakeable self-belief Fury possesses as one of the biggest threats to his chances of avenging that defeat at the Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, this weekend.

“Tyson is clearly someone who has an exceptional strength of mind in a sporting sense,” Swaby said, as he prepares to try and wrestle three of the division’s four major titles out of Usyk’s grasp. 

“In his personal life, as we’ve all seen, he’s clearly got his frailties and he should be applauded for overcoming those. As they say ‘The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.’ But as a fighter, he believes he’s the best there is and that there’s no one better."

“That’s a wonderful attribute to have in one sense. But in another, it could be a problem because Tyson clearly didn’t win the first fight and so he’s got to do something different in this one."

“He’s got to change but will his mindset - that force of personality he has - allow him to acknowledge why he failed to get the result he wanted last time around?"

“If he doesn’t change then, as far as I can see, the same thing is going to happen again. It’s going to be fascinating to see if the way he views himself, as a boxer that is, allows him to do what he needs to do or if it persuades him to carry on as he did before.”

DEFEAT A DECADE AGO

Swaby, now aged 48, faced Fury in Birmingham a decade-and-a-half ago with the Mancunian, now based in Morecambe, stretching his record at the time to 4-0 with a fourth round stoppage. 

From Lincoln and still residing in his hometown, Swaby admitted he was disappointed but not surprised by the outcome of their bout. Having taken Fury further than his previous three opponents, Swaby’s performance nevertheless earned him a pass into the rising star’s inner sanctum. 

It was there, rather than during their first meeting at the Aston Events Centre, where Swaby insists he received an intriguing insight into Fury’s character.

“I took the fight at three days' notice, because they’d had a withdrawal and it was a live broadcast show,” Swaby remembers. “I told the promoter to make it worth my while and, to be fair, they did."

“I got a bit concerned at the end of the first round, during which nothing had really happened, when the referee came over and asked if I was okay?"

“I thought ‘Yes, are you? Now can you just get out of here please?’ Tyson was the promoted fighter who big things were expected for and I got the impression the ref was just itching to stop it right from the off."

“To be honest, I didn’t think Tyson was anything special when we fought then. Yes, he was good but nothing out-of-the-ordinary. Genuinely, I knew that if I’d had a proper camp and a proper preparation programme then I’d have given him real problems. Who knows what might have happened.”

“Not long afterwards, his people asked me to go and spar with him,” Swaby continued. “It was then, at the end of one of our sessions, when I thought, Wow. This kid is world class. He’s going to go a hell of a long way."

“Looking back, that’s interesting because when we fought, he wasn’t in his own backyard. The gym we sparred at was his gym if you like, and he had all of his people around him. It was his home turf, his backyard and he was just a totally different person."

“The environment had changed and Tyson had all of that bravado you see now, not only with how he carried himself but also how he performed in the ring. That was fascinating to see because I think it highlighted what truly makes Tyson the boxer he is now. It was that confidence, that supreme ability in himself.”

MISSED OPPORTUNTIES

A two-time world kickboxing champion, Swaby never received the opportunities his own talents warranted having beaten Enzo Maccarinelli, who would later become WBO cruiserweight champion, live on BBC television. As well as Fury and Maccarinelli, Swaby’s record also includes bouts against the likes of Derek Chisora, Crawford Ashley, Marcus Huck and Matt Skelton.

Having watched Usyk secure a split points decision over Fury for the undisputed heavyweight crown - the Ukrainian was later forced to relinquish the IBF strap, which is now held by Daniel Dubois - Swaby is convinced Fury must not only adjust the approach he adopted during May’s clash but also the methods of his backroom staff in order to heighten his chances of setting-up a trilogy decider next year. 

Usyk has raised the possibility of returning to the 14.4lbs division if he extends his unbeaten record to 23-0. Usyk reigned supreme as a cruiserweight, before beating Chisora to claim the WBO inter-continental bauble in 2020. He then conquered Anthony Joshua, claiming the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO straps in the process, ahead of his historic meeting with then WBC king Fury. 

“Tyson has all the physical attributes to win,” Swaby said. “In fact, I’d go as far to say that those physical attributes - he’s taller, bigger, heavier - combined with his ring craft means that he should win all day long. That’s taking absolutely nothing away from Usyk, who is obviously a generational and all-time name."

“But Tyson has clear advantages over him. He should just be able to work behind the jab all night long and then use his footwork and power, the extra power that weight gives him, to do the damage required to win. But he didn’t do that in the first fight so things clearly aren’t that simple. For me, he’s got to accept that he got it wrong last time out by not utilising those.”

“I also think Tyson has got to sort his corner out,” Swaby said. “Because, let’s be frank, it was an absolute s**t show at times during the first meeting with Usyk, particularly during the closing stages." 

"There were just too many voices, three people speaking at the same time and that can’t happen again. It’s got to be one voice, two at most, with both of them singing from the same hymn sheet. The corner has got to work a lot more efficiently than it did.”