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Fury: No agreement on Klitschko rematch yet. AP/Press Association Images
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Tyson Fury reveals his Croke Park dream, discusses Irish roots and drug spiking fears

World heavyweight champ denies that he bet £200k on himself to beat Wladimir Klitschko.

NEW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT champion Tyson Fury wants to bring boxing back to Croke Park.

Following his shock title win on Saturday night Fury’s first defence is expected to be against the man he dethroned, Wladimir Klitschko, with a Wembley date next summer the most likely date for their agreed rematch.

But Fury, who has Irish roots and boxed for Ireland as an amateur, has revealed his dream of fighting in front of 80,000 in GAA headquarters.

“I don’t know if (Klitschko) is going to take the rematch or not,” the 27-year-old told Today with Sean O’Rourke on RTÉ Radio 1.

“There is a contract to say that he’s entitled to a rematch so the rematch clause has got to be fulfilled. I don’t know where it’s going to be.

I’ve always said that I’d like to fight at Croke Park so maybe that can be a reality one day.

“I always said that there’s a couple of venues in the world that I wanted to box in. One of them is Madison Square Garden — I’ve done that one; one of them is Old Trafford, Manchester United — I’ve not done that one; and the other is Croke Park.”

Fury went into Saturday’s showdown with Klitschko as a massive underdog, and was reported to have placed a £200,000 bet on himself to cause an upset in Dusseldorf.

The Manchester native denied that, saying: “To be honest, I’m not a gambling man. It was all a bit of propaganda for the newspapers.”

He also revealed that he refused to eat or drink anything in the immediate aftermath of his unanimous decision win as he feared there could be an attempt to spike him with a banned substance.

I was told by very good authority not to drink anything in the changing rooms, not to touch anything or eat anything from anybody, because as this level it only takes one little sip of something that you shouldn’t have and you’re banned.

“I was very cautious of someone giving me something after the fight. When you’re all in a good mood and the blood’s pumping, you just take something off somebody and you drink it and eat it because you need it.

“I was dehydrated a lot by the time I got back to the hotel but I waited until I got back there just in case. Prevention is better than cure, isn’t it?”

Although born and bred in Manchester, Fury has Irish Traveller heritage, and boxed for both England and Ireland at amateur level until a failed bid to represent Ireland at the 2008 Olympics encouraged him to turn professional.

He now identifies as British-Irish, he explained, and believes that he is both Britain’s eighth world heavyweight champion — and Ireland’s first.

“My father was born in Galway, along with the rest of my father’s family who are from the west of Ireland.

“My grandmother on my mother’s side was born in Belfast, Nutt’s Corner, and I’ve lots of relatives over there. I’m over there quite regularly visiting.

“I boxed for Ireland as an amateur. I boxed in the Irish senior championships. I went to America for Ireland and won a fight, and I boxed Ireland versus Poland and won two fights.

Like I said in the press conference, I’m the first Irish heavyweight champion of the world.

“I would describe myself (as British-Irish) to be honest,” he added.

“I wouldn’t say I’m Irish born and bred because that would just be lying. I’m born and bred in Manchester in England but people who know me know I’ve been back and forward to Ireland for a long, long time.”

‘Tonight I hit a shooting star’, says victorious Fury but rematch with Klitschko likely

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