In the build-up to his most recent clash with Deontay Wilder, where he won the WBC heavyweight belt in Las Vegas after eight rounds, Tyson Fury used to feign injuries in an attempt to find spies in his camp, according to one of his trainers.
Sugar Hill Steward employed Andy Lee, a former fighter, as one of his assistants, and Lee told Boxing Social some of Fury’s unusual methods.
He said: "There were a couple of days where Tyson messed around, just to see if leaks would happen.
"He feigned injury or pretended to limp a little bit after the sparring session just to see what would happen.
"That's the type of level of deviousness you're dealing with, with him. Inside his own training camp where he'll put on a show and play-act to see if anyone talks outside the camp."
Lee admitted he found the habit of worrying a distracting one.
"One day he pretended to have a bicep injury, he pretended to shake out his hand after training and I was really concerned,” he said.
"He was like, 'Did you see what I did there? I was just messing around,'" Steward said. "I was like 'Oh, this is a joke' - I was really concerned about his bicep but it wasn't a problem."
Fury is in training for a proposed match-up with Deontay Wilder for their third bout to contest the WBC belt, but promoters Bob Arum and Frank Warren have both ruled out a contest happening in 2020. Warren has since suggested that he will attempt to find a new opponent for Fury to keep him focused.
Despite the boxer’s reputation, Lee attested that Fury is a committed professional when in training, after recovering from mental health problems: "Everyone says you have to take it with a pinch of salt, but he performed perfectly in training.
"He worked extremely hard, people might be surprised because they see the larger than life character, but when it comes to training he is very focused and very serious about what he does.
"He didn't cut any corners or allow any small treats or small mercies, he just stuck to his diet as strict as can be with his eating, his sleep and everything he did.
"Maybe he had to, because he knew the fight he was in, but it was worth it."