Tyson Fury's coach Andy Lee has spoken up about the criticism of Fury's corner during his fight with Oleksandr Usyk in May. The bout ended with Usyk winning by split decision and claiming the undisputed heavyweight title.
Some fans had concerns about too many voices giving instructions in Fury's corner during the match. Lee addressed these worries in a recent interview with BoxNation.
"Nothing went wrong in the corner. It wasn't chaos. You've got a dad in the corner, and John was saying a lot of good things. He was giving good advice but he's also coming from the perspective of a dad who's watching his son in the fight."
Lee explained that Sugar Hill Steward was the main voice Fury listened to in the corner. Steward used shorthand phrases from their gym training to communicate with Fury effectively.
John Fury, Tyson's father, was also present in the corner. Lee said John gave good advice from a father's perspective.
Lee himself stepped in during the later rounds of the fight. He felt he had to speak up when he realized Fury was behind on the scorecards.
"My input was round 11, round 12, you have to win the last two rounds. I had to say that as I knew Tyson was down on the cards. I'm not sure everyone was aware, I was told he was down on the cards. I said you're down, you need to win. It had to be said."
Fury's defeat by Usyk in May set up a rematch scheduled for December. It's not yet clear if John Fury will be in the corner for that fight. Tyson will make that decision closer to the time.
Lee's comments aim to clear up any misconceptions about the corner's management during the May bout. He insists that despite multiple voices, there was a clear structure and purpose to the advice given to Fury throughout the fight.
You can watch Andy Lee's full interview on this topic on the BoxNation YouTube channel.
