John McDermott was convinced he had beaten Tyson Fury in their English title fight in 2009 – but the decision that went against him still rankles to this day

Former heavyweight boxer John McDermott has opened up about the decision that ‘changed his career’ following his contentious title fight with Tyson Fury, which led him to a new path in rubbish clearance.

Back in 2009, the two heavyweights clashed for the English title. McDermott, then a promising talent in the division, was convinced he had outboxed ‘The Gypsy King’. However, the outcome left the now 44 year-old stunned. The judges scored the fight eight rounds to two in favour of Fury, a verdict that McDermott still finds perplexing.

“He had called me McMuffin in the build-up but that annoyed me and helped me,” McDermott recounted to The Times. “I definitely won it, mate. I don’t know how the referee scored it eight rounds to him and two to me. Fury didn’t say a word. I was literally waiting in the changing room for someone to come and say, ‘There’s been a mistake’, reports the Mirror.

Even John Fury, Tyson’s father, seemed to acknowledge McDermott’s performance, as McDermott recalls: “I was in the car park and Fury’s dad came up to me and said, ‘I thought you won that, mate, we were lucky to get the decision.’ He didn’t have to say that, did he? It changed my career really.”

Despite the controversial decision in their first encounter, when McDermott and Fury met again for a rematch, the result was far less disputed. McDermott himself stated that Fury had improved and was two-stone heavier this time. He said Fury kept leaning on him, completely draining his energy, and by the eighth round, he was out of steam.

Since then, their careers have taken drastically different paths. Fury has become a two-time unified world heavyweight champion.

Three years after facing his old adversary, McDermott did manage to secure the English title but his boxing career hit a major setback. He hasn’t stepped into the ring for over ten years and is now employed in waste removal, while Fury is gearing up for a lucrative bout with Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia.

Reflecting on his disillusionment with the sport that once held so much promise for him, McDermott said: “I made 25 grand from fighting him. I didn’t earn enough to buy a house.”

“Two fights a year, usually 15 grand each, minimum wage innit? I was not bitter at Tyson Fury when I stopped, but I was at the sport. I still am.”