Smakic Says the Punch in Sparring with Fury Was Clean!

Croatian heavyweight boxer Agron Smakici (20-2, 18 KOs) shared details about a sparring session with Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs), during which the Brit received a cut.

"I wasn't mad because he was laughing; he's funny. He's a comedian. Yes, it made me a bit more serious, it sparked a desire to show him what I'm capable of. But it was a clean hit, the elbow wasn't intentional. I was just trying to have the best rounds with him and show him that I deserve respect.

I gained that respect during sparring, and then he said, 'Great sparring, accidents happen, everything was wonderful before that.' Crazy things happen in boxing.

I feel like the sparring was too early. That's just my opinion. We did sparring in the evenings, around 8:00-9:00 PM, to be ready for the fight. But suddenly, we sparred at noon, having breakfast at 11 AM. The day before, we had heavy sparring, and before that on Wednesday, we did strength training, endurance, and circuit training.

Something was happening with our bodies and minds. It was an early sparring, we were informed late, it was in the middle of breakfast when we needed to prepare. But Fury was motivated, he said he wanted 12 rounds. He did three with Thomas Kart, and then I went in.

He joked like 'come on, little sausage,' but he was very motivated, danced around the ring, and often used his reach. I used my style, he's physically strong, we had some good combinations.

Then the cut happened because we were tired. I threw a left hook, but my head also went forward because he was pulling it, it was a bit like dirty boxing," said Smakici.

It's worth noting that this injury led to the postponement of the Usyk-Fury fight to May 18th. Initially, Smakic claimed it was a clean hit.