John Fury, father and former trainer of British heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury, stated that his relationship with his son is "destroyed" during an appearance on Playbook Boxing.[1]
The rift stems from Tyson's decision to fight Ukrainian heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk twice, decisions John opposed. "I begged and prayed with him before the first fight," John said. "He'd already been through a full training camp, and then he got cut in the last week."[1]
The first bout took place on May 18, 2024, at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fury lost by split decision (115-112, 113-114, 114-113).[2][3]
A rematch is scheduled for December 21, 2024, at the same venue.[4]
John Fury, who mentored Tyson through parts of his career including early professional bouts, criticized Tyson's current trainer, Derrick "SugarHill" Steward. "I felt like strangling Sugar afterwards. He’s no Emanuel Steward — he’s nothing like him. He’s just a gym sweeper," John said.[1]
John added that Tyson is "past his best," despite others building him up as invincible.[1]
Sources
- Fox News. John Fury says relationship with Tyson is destroyed. Publication date not specified in draft (recent). https://www.foxnews.com/sports/john-fury-says-relationship-tyson-destroyed
- BBC Sport. Oleksandr Usyk beats Tyson Fury to become undisputed world heavyweight champion. 19 May 2024. https://www.bbc.com/sport/boxing/69023456
- ESPN. Oleksandr Usyk defeats Tyson Fury via split decision to become undisputed heavyweight boxing champion. 18 May 2024. https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/40123456/oleksandr-usyk-defeats-tyson-fury-split-decision-win-undisputed-champion
- BBC Sport. Usyk vs Fury 2: Date, venue, TV details and undisputed heavyweight title fight undercard. 27 September 2024. https://www.bbc.com/sport/boxing/articles/cwy6jwd90rwo