Tyson Fury has always maintained that he secured a 'mental victory' against Wladimir Klitschko, even before the pair met in the ring.
Ahead of the 2015 heavyweight title fight in Dusseldorf, where Fury became unified champion after a points victory, 'The Gypsy King' spoke about the incredible battle he had with his opponent inside a sauna.
I repeat, Fury had a battle with Wladimir Klitschko inside a sauna. No, really.
In an episode of Sky Sports' Gloves Are Off, he told the incredible story in full.
Advert
"I'm at his training camp, we're in the sauna, about ten guys in the sauna." he said, while Klitschko stared at him.
"And it came down to me and Wlad in the sauna. Do you remember this Wladimir, at all?
"It gets down to him and I'm over the other side. I've only had 12 or 13 fights, but still, in my mind I was mentally in a competition with him.
Advert
"He can say what he wants, he can deny it, whatever. I was prepared to die in that sauna before I got out. I stayed in for like 40 minutes."
Klitschko then replied: "I honestly don't know what you're talking about but I believe in the sauna people were walking in naked, so..."
Both men went back and forth in the debate, as the Ukrainian fighter continued to deny what happened.
Advert
And now, five years after his defeat to Fury, the 44-year-old has labelled the story as 'disturbing'.
"I keep reading these disturbing stories about Fury´s recollections of a sauna." he said on Twitter on Sunday night.
"1) Apparently I was in some contest, in his head. 2) How creepy this man keeps having thoughts/dreams of me in a sauna."
Fury has since spoken about the sauna story in more detail.
Advert
"Everyone goes in the sauna and Klitschko has to stay in longer - it's his mental little thing he does to everybody.
"Everything's a competition to me, if we're playing basketball or PlayStation, I've got to win. I'm in there like a minute and I was totally f*****, thinking I can't do this - I really can't do it.
"We sit in the sauna for a long time, it got up to twenty minutes and he gets up and makes it hotter.
"Now I'm counting to ten six times for a minute in my head, then I know it's been a minute, if I pass out, I pass out.
Advert
"The boys will just bring me out and put some water on me and I know I'll be alright. I got a newspaper, I picked it up, I put this oil all over me - I'm laid down reading this newspaper.
"It gets to about 45 minutes and he just walks out, didn't even speak to anyone on the way out - just goes upstairs.
"I thought I can't just get up now and walk out, I've got to leave it a few minutes. So I'm nearly passing out and walked out the door - felt all light headed like I'm really going to faint, and everyone said 'what did you do to Klitschko?' and I said, 'listen, I've just won a mental battle with him'."
Whether the sauna story is a figment of Fury's imagination or not - it's certainly an entertaining one.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Tyson Fury, Boxing News, Boxing, Wladimir Klitschko
