Did Wladimir Klitschko lose to Tyson Fury on purpose?

Tyson Fury believes Wladimir Klitschko may have lost on purpose given that a rematch was in their contract.

Wladimir Klitschko is pound-for-pound one of the best boxers in the sport, and a champion who ruled the heavyweight division for 10 years. So when he lost to Tyson Fury, people were right to be confused as to why he put up such a dud of a performance. There were many reasons thrown around, such as the mind games Fury was playing or that age finally caught up to him.

But with the two set to fight again, Fury gave the Daily Mail (h/t Bleacher Report) his own reason for why Klitschko didn’t look right in the ring:

"I think he might have lost on purpose in Germany—I have contemplated this as well.What happens if he knew I was contracted in 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 again 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.But it would not have been possible unless he had lost our first fight."

There were a lot of moments in the first fight where Fury just dropped his hands and left himself wide open for a shot, but Klitschko just stood there and did nothing. Klitschko has typically been a fighter who starts out slow, but by the end of the fight, only four rounds were scored in his favor.

The rematch will be contested in Fury’s home, this time at Manchester Arena, in what is sure to be a hostile atmosphere for the former champ. Currently, the betting line is dead even and many are hoping for more action after their first encounter was an extremely dull affair. Fury will want to win outright to prove that he deserves the belts, while Klitschko will want to win back what once belonged to him.

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