Tyson Fury
Tyson Fury posing with his titles after beating Wladimir Klitschko last year Getty

Tyson Fury has claimed that Wladimir Klitschko may have lost his World Heavyweight title clash to the English boxer on purpose. The duo fought for the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF), World Boxing Organization (WBO) and International Boxing Organization (IBO) titles in Dusseldorf last year with Fury putting in one of the most impressive boxing performances ever seen.

He beat Klitschko after 12 rounds – by a unanimous points decision – and became the first man to end the Ukrainian's 11-year undefeated streak.

In what seems to be a bizarre theory, the 27-year-old has now claimed that Klitschko may have lost the fight on purpose. "You don't know what effect it has on a man's mind getting beaten when he thinks he is unbeatable, but I think he might have lost on purpose in Germany – I have contemplated that as well," Fury was quoted as saying by DailyMail.

The pair will meet again on 9 July at the Manchester Arena in what is being touted as one of the top boxing events of the year. The rematch is part of a clause in the original contract that stated they two boxers would fight for a second time if Klitschko lost to Fury in the first match.

"What happens if he knew I was contracted for a rematch and I couldn't fight anybody else? If I retire and don't fight him, he gets the belts back anyway, that's in the contract."

"If I fight him and he turns it up and knocks me out in 10 seconds or whatever, then he has won his belts back to become a three-time heavyweight champion. Not many have done that – only people like Muhammad Ali."

Fury has been at the centre of controversies in recent times. In early 2015 he compared homosexuality to paedophilia and later he remarked that fellow BBC sports personality of the year nominee Jessica Ennis-Hill "slaps up good". He had also said that "a woman's best place is in the kitchen and on her back". He later apologised for those comments and said that it was all tongue in cheek and not to be seriously taken.

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