By his own admission, Tyson Fury isn’t an authority on college football nor was his presence at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl intended to serve in that capacity.

The unbeaten British heavyweight made the trip to Glendale, Arizona for the purpose of making the media rounds to promote his February 22 Pay-Per-View rematch with Deontay Wilder (42-0-1, 41KOs) The heavyweight title fight takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and will be presented as a joint venture between ESPN+ and Fox Sports. Fury’s relationship with ESPN+ provided the platform to appear on ESPN’s College Gameday and later that evening at the Fiesta Bowl—also carried by ESPN—where he did manage to offer insight on the difference between what it takes as a team to win on the field and as an individual in the ring.

“You look at team sports – if you’re having an off day, the other guys will carry you, maybe you get substituted,” Fury (29-0-1, 20KOs) explained to the ESPN College Gameday crew. “They do whatever they do. In a boxing fight, you have an off day, you get knocked out.”

Fury boasts an undefeated record in the pro ranks, but his path has been anything perfect in reaching that point. The 31-year old from England had to recover from two knockdowns just to finish his fight with Wilder last December, one where many felt he deserved the nod in a split decision draw but where the knockdowns ultimately denied him that moment. A perceived tune-up versus Sweden’s Otto Wallin this past September nearly went awry, as Fury suffered a hellacious cut in the third round before composing himself and pulling away with a comfortable points win.

“In my last fight, I had an off day,” Fury admits. “I wasn’t feeling great. I was under the weather. I got a massive cut, had to get 47 stitches. Nothing went right but I managed to grind out a victory and that’s what champions do. They win when they are not feeling great.”

The win ran Fury’s mark to 4-0-1 since his triumphant comeback last June following more than 30 months away from the ring. The 6’9” Brit hadn’t fought to that point since turning in a masterful boxing exhibition to dethrone Wladimir Klitschko for the lineal heavyweight championship in November 2015. 

Wins over Sefer Seferi, Francesco Pianeta and Tom Schwarz proved far less challenging than the adversity he was forced to overcome versus both Wilder and Wallin. While Wilder is universally regarded as the most potent puncher in the world today, the same amount of respect is generally shown for Fury’s overall boxing ability. In a way, Fury validates Wilder’s claim that the undefeated long-reigning titlist only needs to be perfect for the time it takes to land his titanic right hand where his opponents need to be perfect for all 12 rounds.

It’s something the brash Brit is willing to prove the second time around, having gained a full appreciation for what it takes as an individual to overcome your worst moments to be the best man in the ring. 

“The most important thing a wise trainer taught me, your feet will get you in trouble, and get you back out of trouble again,” explained Fury. “Not a lot of people practice footwork in the sweet science of boxing. They look for strength, they lift a lot of weights, they look for one punch knockouts. It’s great for the highlight reel.

“What pays the bills is the skill. If you fail to learn the skill at the top level you will be found wanting. Just like Wilder did last time and just like he will do again on February 22.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox