TYSON FURY got embarrassed by Francis Ngannou because he was slacking in the gym, according to one of his sparring partners.

The Gypsy King eked out a controversial split decision victory over the former UFC heavyweight champion in their Riyadh rumble last October.

Tyson Fury locked horns with former UFC champ Francis Ngannou in a boxing match last OctoberCredit: AP

The Gypsy King was dropped by the boxing novice but eked out a split-decision winCredit: AFP

Fury’s sparring partner Martin Bakole has revealed he was slacking in the gym when it came to sparsCredit: INSTAGRAM@MARTIN_BAKOLE

Fury was cut and DROPPED by the boxing novice in the third round of the crossover clash, which will live long in the memory of boxing fans.

And according to Martin Bakole, the WBC king’s lack of adequate preparation from a sparring perspective almost resulted in him suffering his first professional loss.

He told iFL TV: “I’ve never seen Tyson training like that. He was doing four rounds, six rounds in the gym for sparring.

“Maybe he’s watching this and knows he wasn’t 100 per cent focused.

“That’s not the Tyson Fury I know when were preparing for [Wladimir] Klitschko, [Derek] Chisora and Dillian Whyte.

“This was different.”

Fury, 35, is seemingly leaving no stone unturned for his undisputed heavyweight title fight with former pound-for-pound king Oleksandr Usyk next month.

Bakole knows a thing or two about Usyk having sparred undefeated Ukrainian on multiple occasions.

And he reckons the former cruiserweight king could cause a huge upset if Fury doesn’t mind his Ps and Qs.

He said: “This is a hard question. Very hard question. 50/50.

“On points, I can see Usyk. And a knockout, it may be a surprise, but the Gypsy King.

“Because he has to fix his mistakes, you know, people judge him against Ngannou.

“Imagine if he stops Usyk, they will say that the Ngannou fight was a little bit of a mistake, he didn’t take it serious.

“It’s so hard because I know Usyk is world-class. Top-class movement. But the Gypsy King … I’ll go draw for me.”

Fury is anticipating a tough night at the office against slick southpaw but insists: “There’s only one winner, and I am destined to become the undisputed champion.

“More than that, I am destined to cement my legacy as the No. 1 fighter in this era.

“To do that I have to beat this little man and that’s it, simple as.

“Easier said than done I understand, he’s a tricky man, good boxer, slick.

“But I have seen many people like him before and when they fight the big men they struggle.

“He’s going to struggle on February 17 and he’s going to lose, I will break him for sure.”