Neven Pajkic gave Tyson Fury an almighty scare in his 17th professional bout.
Fury, then 23, took on Pajkic in a defence of his Commonwealth title at Manchester’s Trafford Park in 2011.
Fury was floored by Pajkic early in his professional boxing career[/caption]
Pajkic, like Fury, boasted an unblemished 16-0 record heading into the contest.
However, he remained a relatively unknown quantity, having never fought outside of his home country of Canada.
Despite this, the 34-year-old caused Fury all kinds of problems in the opening stanza as he forced the towering Brit onto his heels with a barrage of heavy shots.
But it wasn’t until the second round that Pajkic really made him pay.
As Fury stepped in with a one-two, Pajkic slipped the combination and uncorked a clubbing overhand right that sat the Brit down on the seat of his pants.
To the amazement of everyone at ringside, Fury shook off the shot and saw out the round to spring a gutsy comeback, dropping Pajkic twice in the following frame.
After making his way back to his feet for a second time, Pajkic was rocked by a stiff right uppercut, prompting the referee to step in and wave off the contest.
It marked the first defeat of Pajkic’s career but the Bosnian-born Canadian has since made wild accusations that this was achieved through foul play.
Pajkic claims to have fallen seriously ill from food poisoning on the eve of the fight and is convinced Fury’s team had something to do with it – although this remains completely unfounded.
“I made biggest mistake having a meal in the hotel night before the fight,” he told Boxing Insider in 2012.
Pajkic was 16-0 heading into the fight but was an unknown quantity[/caption]
“I had cold sweats all night and [diarrhoea] all night long — I didn’t sleep a wink! 30 times on the toilet!”
“They did it, I know,” Pajkic added of Fury’s camp, who he says were alarmed when he showed up for the fight in such great condition.
“I didn’t cover all the aspects of the game. It’s my fault — I learned the hard way.
“Next time I cook my own food.”
While Fury went on to become a two-time heavyweight world champion, Pajkic only fought once more in a winning effort against Shane Andreesen for the Canadian heavyweight title.
“I left the sport on a high, defending the Canadian championship,” Pajkic said.
“I was going to make a comeback, but then I got injured training.
“And, to be honest with you, I didn’t feel like training with the same intensity anymore. It was a sign I should quit.”
