Oleksandr Usyk has agreed with Tyson Fury's claims he hid his strength from Anthony Joshua during his previous fights.
The Ukrainian recorded a sensational victory over Joshua with his dominant display earning him the unified world titles.
Although Usyk could have won by a more emphatic margin coming close to a late stoppage in a tense final round.
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And heavyweight rival Fury claimed that the 34-year-old held back his true strength during his two warm-up bouts.
The new unified champion has agreed and explained why he wasn't at his elite best.
"This is what he (Fury) has said about previous fights and many other people have judged by previous fights," Usyk said. "There are a number of reasons why I didn't look the way I quite wanted to and the way my fans wanted to see me.
"Let's take the fight with Derek Chisora. I have been preparing for eight or nine months, I had two camp stops in that time, I had an operation my hand and I got the disease that is scaring the world right now.
"It all happened in eight months, so I am not saying it made me look bad or not so good. But there are a number of reasons that explain why it happened.
"I think it is stupid to judge a person by their previous fights because things change. A lot of people work on their mistakes, and stop doing the stupid things."
Usyk now holds the unified WBA, WBO and IBF titles having already reigned as undisputed cruiserweight champion.
And his performance silenced critics who had questioned his size approaching the showdown.
With Joshua activating the immediate rematch clause, Usyk will be forced to wait to challenge Fury for the undisputed titles.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Who wins the rematch - Usyk or Joshua? Leave your prediction in the comments section
But the Ukrainian has been backed by his promoter Alex Krassyuk to dethrone Fury in a future meeting.
He told The Sun : "Both guys – Wilder and Fury – in the shape they performed in the fight are a sweet dessert for Usyk because none of them performed with boxing skills.
"If Usyk shows his technique, his style of technique I don’t think either Fury or Wilder can do anything serious to Usyk.
"My understanding was that Fury was going to lose on Saturday night. I thought he will get knocked out by Wilder. It wasn’t an analytical thought.
"I’ve been in boxing for 16 years, it was just another intuition that said Fury has very high chances to lose against Wilder. Of course he didn’t lose. I was in the studio for the commentary. That was a spectacular performance, absolutely spectacular."
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The heavyweight division has now escalated dramatically in recent weeks, with Fury now set to face a mandatory challenge from Dillian Whyte next.
But any bid Usyk may make at Fury could be hindered after the 'Gypsy King' hinted at imminent retirement.
And Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn is not entirely confident of Joshua winning the rematch with Usyk, letting slip his worrying prediction.
