I'm an actor who nearly retired Tyson Fury - I knocked him down with only 30% power

Tyson Fury was nearly sent into a premature retirement by a Hollywood stunt double.

The Gypsy King's undefeated record came under serious threat in his 17th fight against Neven Pajkic, who dropped him for the first time in his professional career. Bosnian-born Canadian heavyweight Pajkic was also 16-0 heading into the November 2011 bout.

They did battle for Fury's Commonwealth title, which he was ultra confident of retaining. "If Pajkic gives me a hard fight I will retire because if I can't handle him, I'll never unify the division," he said in the build-up.

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That comment looked to be ill-advised come the second round. Pajkic connected an overhand right which put Fury on his backside, albeit only very briefly.

"I only cracked him with 30%," Pajkic told Sky Sports in 2020. "I didn't expect him to go down. I practised the right hand, left hook. To my surprise, he fell after the first punch."

With just under a minute left in the round, the hometown Manchester crowed sensed an upset was on the cards. But Pajkic felt his moment had gone.

"I hoped he would be groggy with the right hand then I would finish him off with the left hook," he explained. "The right hand was supposed to be a set-up. I wish he hadn't gone down because the left hook was coming and would have put him out."

Fury survived to the bell, clinching onto his opponent in the dying seconds. And the tide soon turned in his favour, pushing back and securing two knock downs of his own in quick succession.

The referee ultimately stepped in to wave it off with less than 20 seconds left in