GUEST COLUMN
I couldn’t have done any better, I tried my heart out
Tyson Fury reflects on L.A epic
I’M going to go home and spend some quality time with my kids. I’ve been away from home for over two months and they’ve missed me. I’ve got a little daughter there and she’s probably forgotten me. She’s only a year old.
I’m just going to enjoy myself really, enjoy my family, enjoy my friends and enjoy my time off while I’ve got it because I’m back into training camp soon. Probably won’t go on a caravan holiday at this time of year but I might take the gypsy wagon out on the roads, the horse and cart.
Whatever happened yesterday is history so I’m just looking forward to today and tomorrow. We never know how we’re going to feel but I’m happy and everything I trained for, I executed and everything we did, we did. I couldn’t have done any better, I tried my heart out.
I think the fight made a massive impact in America. Everybody in America has heard the story of Tyson Fury. They’ve heard about the legend but now they’ve seen him. They now know why. It was a treat for the fans and refreshing to see two unbeaten world champions at each other, going toe-to-toe. Deontay Wilder is a great fighter.
As for Anthony Joshua, I’m not here to run anybody down. It is what it is, everybody has got their own path in life and I wish him all the luck in the world. I hope he does very well and makes plenty of money out of it because, whatever money we earn, we deserve 10 times more because every time you get in that ring and take those punches, you get out as a lesser person. You always get out with less than you went in with.
Frank Warren wanted me to have another couple of warm-up fights. I said, ‘No, get me Deontay Wilder’. If I can’t be the best, then I don’t want to be anything else. I chose Deontay Wilder after two fights back, I was always confident I could beat him.
Two big boys stepped up and showed everything that they needed to. We put it all on the line, records, titles, 10 years unbeaten as pros, reputations, pride, honour, respect and we fought it out like two warriors. You see the respect
‘YOU ALWAYS GET OUT OF THE RING A LESSER PERSON’
we had for each other after the fight. I can’t sit here this morning and say anything bad about Wilder.
He’s a hell of a man, and a hell of a champion. He showed the courage of a lion and he kept going all night. Do you know how it feels to not be able to land any punches for nine rounds? He kept coming, he kept trying and trying. How demoralising must it be to just keep getting jabbed without any success you? I have to respect a man like that who kept coming and always believed he could knock me out. He almost did it.
I hope the best do fight the best because it is great for the fans and great for boxing. That is what we are here to do. We are not here to get a 100-0 record. We are here to put entertaining fights on while we are in the era and active. I wouldn’t like to go through my career knowing I didn’t fight the best. In my career so far, I fought the best of the best. Every time I’ve come out on top – even this time. I’m sat here with a draw today, but everybody knows the truth and I don’t feel any lesser of a man. I know I won that fight and the world knows it too.
No matter what everybody else thinks, these referees and judges have got a job to do and that is what they’re employed for – to get the right decision but they don’t always get it right. They didn’t get it right this time. I could scream and go mad, but I’ve seen this time and time again in boxing. I’m a boxing historian, I’ve seen decisions go the wrong way. That is just how the cookie crumbles, unfortunately.