Tyson Luke Fury, born on August 12, 1988, is a British professional boxer who has held multiple world heavyweight championships. These include unified titles from 2015 to 2016, the Ring magazine title twice between 2015 and 2022, and the World Boxing Council (WBC) title from 2020 to 2024. At the regional level, he secured multiple heavyweight championships, such as the British title twice between 2011 and 2015, the European title from 2014 to 2015, and the Commonwealth title from 2011 to 2012.
Fury made his professional debut at the age of 20 on December 6, 2008, in Nottingham, on the undercard of Carl Froch vs. Jean Pascal.
Fury scored two more victories against Tomas Mrazek and Hans-Joerg Blasko before facing McDermott in a rematch on June 25, 2010. Fury settled the controversy of the first fight, as he knocked down McDermott three times, first in the 8th round then twice in the 9th round to win by TKO.
On July 23, 2011, Fury faced undefeated heavyweight Derek Chisora for the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles at Wembley Arena in London. Despite Fury's superior size and reach, Chisora was the favorite.
On September 17, 2011, Fury fought Nicolai Firtha in a non-title bout at the King's Hall, Belfast. In round 3, Firtha landed a big punch which looked to trouble Fury. Fury regained control of the fight by the next round and forced the referee to stop the fight at 2 minutes, 19 seconds on round 5.
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Fury returned to the ring on November 12 at the Event City in Trafford Park, Manchester to defend his Commonwealth heavyweight title against undefeated Canadian heavyweight champion Neven Pajkic. Fury had an early scare after being knocked down in round 2 following a big right hand. Although Pajkic hobbled Fury again at the outset of round 3, Fury came back to knock down Pajkic twice during that round. The referee stopped the fight after the last knockdown, causing Pajkic to protest, who declared himself ready to fight on.
Fury vacated his British and Commonwealth belts in order to pursue a future world title match. He said to the media of his decision to vacate the belts, "I vacated the British and Commonwealth titles, which some people say are more prestigious than the Irish title, but not to me. I vacated those belts for an Irish title shot because it meant more to me. All my people are from Ireland. I was born in Manchester but I am Irish."
On April 14, 2012, Fury travelled to Belfast to fight at the Odyssey Arena for the vacant Irish heavyweight title. His opponent was veteran Martin Rogan. Fury put Rogan on the canvas with a left hook in the third round. Rogan went down again in round 5 from a body shot.
On July 7, Fury fought for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title against American boxer Vinny Maddalone at the Hand Arena in Clevedon, Somerset. Fury controlled the fight from the onset and stunned Maddalone with a combination in the opening round. Fury continued to land heavy punches and opened a cut under his opponent's left eye in the fourth. In round 5, with Maddalone taking punches, the referee stepped in and called an end to the bout with blood streaming out of the cut under the veteran's left eye. In the post-fight interviews, Fury said, "I knew it was a matter of time. I actually called the referee over, he was taking some big shots. I'm still undefeated. I would like to say I'm ready for anyone in the world. Klitschkos, bring them on. Americans, bring them on. Bring on Tomasz Adamek.
On November 12, 2012, it was announced that Fury would fight American world title contender Kevin Johnson in a WBC title eliminator at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast on December 1. Fury won via unanimous decision over Johnson. After 12 rounds, the judges scored it 119-110, 119-108, and 119-108 in favor of Fury.
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On February 20, 2013, it was reported that Fury would fight highly ranked American former cruiserweight world champion Steve Cunningham in his United States debut at Madison Square Garden Theater on April 20. The bout was an IBF title eliminator to determine the number 2 world ranking, with the winner then needing to fight unbeaten Bulgarian heavyweight Kubrat Pulev for the mandatory position for a shot at the long reigning world champion Wladimir Klitschko. Fury fought wildly in the first two rounds of the bout, and was floored heavily by Cunningham in the 2nd round. Cunningham continued to land heavy punches on Fury for the next few rounds, until being worn down by Fury's size advantage and power punches. By round seven, Fury had fully rebounded and handed Cunningham the first knockout defeat of his career with a cuffing right hand against the rope. Earlier, in round five, Fury was docked a point following a headbutt. At the time of the stoppage, Fury was behind on two judges' scorecards 57-55, while the other judge had it 56-56 (even).
Fury was due to fight David Haye on September 28, 2013, in a fight which would have seen Fury fight on a pay-per-view platform for the first time. However, Haye pulled out of the fight on September 21, after sustaining a cut, which required six stitches, above the eye during training. The fight was originally postponed to February 8, 2014. Haye pulled out of the fight a second time on November 17, stating that he had a career-threatening shoulder injury which required surgery, and hinted at his retirement. Fury believed that Haye was making excuses because he did not want the fight, saying "I'm absolutely furious but in all honesty this is exactly what I expected.
Fury announced his retirement on November 20, 2013, stating on social media "I have officially retired from boxing. There's [sic] too many bent people in the sport. They will have to ffuck someone else. Goodbye boxing." He confirmed his decision the next day, stating "Just to confirm I'm not in a bad mood or anything.
On January 24, 2014, it was announced that Fury would fight at the Copper Box Arena against Argentine veteran Gonzalo Omar Basile on February 15. On February 5, Basile pulled out of the fight due to a lung infection. He was replaced by American journeyman Joey Abell. Fury won the fight via 4th-round TKO, which set up a rematch with Chisora in the summer. Ring rust showed in the opening two rounds with Abell connecting with left hands, which had Fury against the ropes. But Fury managed to compose himself and get behind the jab. In the third round, Fury floored Abell with a right hand. Abell beat the count but was floored again, this time being saved by the bell. Two more knockdowns followed in round 4 ending the fight.
Fury was due to fight rival and heavyweight contender Derek Chisora for the second time on July 26, 2014, for the European and once again the British heavyweight title. On July 21, Chisora was forced to pull out after sustaining a fractured hand in training. Russian Alexander Ustinov was lined up as Chisora's replacement in the bout scheduled to take place at the Manchester Arena, Fury pulled out of the fight after his uncle and former trainer Hughie Fury was taken seriously ill. However, Fury and Chisora rescheduled the rematch for November 29, 2014 at ExCeL London. The bout was also a WBO title eliminator and shown live on BoxNation. Fury was victorious again after dominating the fight up until Chisora's corner pulled him out at the end of the 10th round. Fury also used a southpaw stance for the majority of the fight, despite the traditional right-handed orthodox stance being his preference. Fury used his jab to trouble Chisora and stayed on the outside with his longer reach to dominate the fight. Chisora failed to land any telling punches, and due to Fury's awkward fighting style, ended up hitting him below the belt. After the fight, Fury said, "Wladimir Klitschko, I'm coming for you, baby. I'm coming.
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On December 26, 2014, Sky Sports News announced that Fury would fight once more before challenging Klitschko for his world titles. His opponent was Christian Hammer and the fight took place on February 28, 2015 at the O2 Arena in London. Fury said he went for an opponent that would give him a challenge rather than an "easier" opponent, before challenging Klitschko. Fury went on to win the fight when it came to a halt in the 8th round via corner stoppage. Fury dominated the fight from the opening bell and dropped Hammer in round 5 with a short right hook.
In July 2015, it was confirmed that Fury would fight Wladimir Klitschko in a world heavyweight title showdown, for the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles. Initially scheduled for October 24, 2015, the fight was postponed to November 28, 2015 after Klitschko sustained a calf injury. The fight took place at Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany. Fury won after 12 rounds by a unanimous decision. The judges scored the fight 115-112, 115-112, and 116-111. In the post-fight interview, an emotional Fury said, "This is a dream come true. We worked so hard for this. I've done it. It's hard to come to foreign countries and get decisions. It just means so much to me to come here and get the decision." Klitschko failed to throw his well-known right hand, mostly due to Fury's constant movement and mocking. He said, "Tyson was the faster and better man tonight. I felt quite comfortable in the first six rounds, but I was astonished that Tyson was so fast in the second half as well.
On November 28, 2015, Tyson Fury reached the mountaintop. That day, the “Gypsy King” ended the decade-long reign of Wladimir Klitschko, beating him on points to become the lineal heavyweight champion. Fury prophesied this event to Klitschko five years earlier, when the former was only 22-years-old. Although he had accomplished his stated goal, his happiness didn’t last long.
“It was almost like I didn't have anything more to do in my life,” he explained on the October 25 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
On December 8, 2015, the IBF stripped Fury of its title, as the contract for the fight against Klitschko included a rematch clause, precluding Fury from facing the IBF's mandatory challenger Vyacheslav Glazkov.
Following months of negotiation, the rematch with Klitschko was announced on April 8, 2016, this time with the fight scheduled to take place in Fury's hometown of Manchester at the Manchester Arena on July 9, 2016. Despite agreeing terms for the rematch, Fury said he had "no motivation" and had gained an extreme amount of weight after the first fight, as he weighed over 24 stone (330 lb or 150 kg) by April 2016.
On June 24, 2016, it was announced that this fight would be postponed to a later date due to Fury sustaining a sprained ankle in training. On the same day, Fury and his cousin, Hughie Fury, were charged by UK Anti-Doping "with presence of a prohibited substance", namely nandrolone, from a sample taken 16 months previously in February 2015. Tyson and Hughie said that they "strenuously deny" the charge.
On September 23, Fury again postponed the fight after being declared "medically unfit". ESPN reported that Fury had failed a drug test for cocaine a day before the second postponement. Fury's mental health deteriorated after winning the world titles.
Over the next two years, Fury spiraled out of control as he battled mental health problems and drug and alcohol addiction.
In the summer of 2016, Fury hit rock bottom. The recent purchase of a new Ferrari convertible did little to boost his self-esteem. He got into the vehicle and sped off, approaching 200 miles an hour with the intent of crashing it into a bridge and ending his life.
As he neared the bridge, he heard a voice.
“Don’t do this, Tyson,” the voice said. “Think about your kids. Think about your family and your little boys and girls growing up with no father. And everyone saying your dad was a weak man. He left you. He took the easy way out because he couldn't do anything about it.”
Fury pulled over and told himself he would never try to take his own life again. He sought psychiatric help from a leading doctor in the UK, who deemed him a suicide risk.
Fury didn’t attempt that again, but he still battled internal demons. It wasn’t until Halloween 2017 that things took a drastic turn. A 400-pound Fury dressed as a skeleton and attended a party where he ended up looking like the old man who didn’t belong.
“What am I doing here?” he asked himself. “Is this what you want for your life?
Fury drove home around and went upstairs into a dark room. He took off his costume and, with tears streaming down his face, begged God to help him. For the first time in years, he thought of boxing. It was time to make a comeback.
Fury called his wife, Paris, and told her he was on a mission to regain the world heavyweight championship. Though she didn’t quite believe him, she heard something different in his voice that day.
Fury decided everything had to change, from his lifestyle to his trainer to his promoter. He called Ben Davison, whom he first met in 2017, when Davison assisted Billy Joe Saunders in preparation for his fight against Willie Monroe Jr.
During that initial meeting, Fury spotted two attractive women walking by. He told Davison that if the trainer could get their phone numbers, he would hire him as his trainer if he returned to boxing. A beaming Davison returned holding both numbers on a slip of paper.
“I hired him for that reason, not just for the hot girls’ phone numbers,” Fury told Rogan. “He was willing to put himself on the line to prove to me he could do something. That takes minerals. If you don’t have any confidence, or any gumption to him, he wouldn’t have gotten that number… It was the best decision I ever made.”
After phoning Davison about his plans to come back, Fury went for a run. He lasted five minutes before running out of breath. While heading home, an Instagram video caught his eye. It was WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, discussing a photo of an out-of-shape Fury that had gone viral. Wilder ended the clip by declaring that Fury was a finished fighter who he would have knocked out at any point in his career.
Wilder also claimed he could have stopped a prime Mike Tyson; the same man Fury was named after. Those comments fueled Fury’s fire. If he ever got the chance, he would make Wilder pay in the ring.
The SHOCKING moment Tyson Fury RISES FROM THE CANVAS after Deontay Wilder thinks he is KNOCKED OUT🤯
On Dec. 1, Fury can kill two birds with one stone: Make Wilder eat his words and regain the world heavyweight championship. PT) live from Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Fury has relied on his belief in God and the support of his family to help him get through a dark and tumultuous period and now has the opportunity to reclaim what was lost. He hasn’t fully kicked the drink, still enjoying a beer or three on occasion. But he believes he’s in a better place now than he’s ever been.
“I think there is a bigger picture,” he told Rogan. “Bigger than winning any titles, bigger than winning any fights. I think my calling card in life is to spread the word on this disease, a silent killer. A killer that's so ferocious, that you can't see it or feel it from the outside.”
Some are concerned that if Fury becomes king of the hill once again, he’ll return to that low place that nearly cost him everything. For now, his focus is solely on beating Wilder. Doing so makes him a two-time world champion, an enormous achievement.