The struggle was very real for Tyson Fury who battled with depression and other mental health problems before his recent comeback. It was tough for everyone surrounding ‘The Gypsy King’ and one man who witnessed the former world champion’s dark times very closely was his father, John Fury.
“We are victorious here. It’s the biggest victory of my life. Forget Klitschko, forget the boxing, forge the good nights, I looked like losing my son. I didn’t know whether the phone was going to ring and say that he’s committed suicide, he’s jumped off a bridge, he’s run into a post with his car – I just didn’t know,” told Fury to Boxing Social.
It got really tough at times for Fury’s family but eventually, Tyson’s father stepped in and offered some fatherly advice.
“It was cracking me up. I thought ‘I don’t know if I’m going to get through this myself?’ Every time the phone rung I was cringing. It is horrible. But we went there together and I said ‘look son, you’re killing me, you’re killing everybody around you, sort yourself out. Let’s beat this and you can do it. You’re better than this.’ Like I say he’s here – thank god,” said Fury
A happy fighter is a dangerous fighter and Tyson’s father believes that this is the best version of his son ever.
“I’ve never been as happy. I’ve never been as proud. He’s come back from the brink of obliteration to the top of his game again and I’m seeing a Tyson I’ve not seen before. It’s a new Tyson even for me. I’ve never seen him so focused. I’ve never seen him so determined. Everything is right here. I’ve never been as happy.
“I’m watching it. We’ve got world-class men at the gym who can’t lay a glove on him. They can’t do this, they can’t do that and he’s [Tyson] hitting them at will. I’ve never seen a man as strong and determined as what he is. When he’s going forward, he’s going forward. He’s like an express train. I’ve never seen a heavyweight at his size with his ability to move in angles like he does. He’ll confuse anybody within a round,” he added.
But it’s not only the physical side of things. Father Fury claims Tyson will always have the edge mentally as well.
“And you know what he does best? The mental side of it. He can mentally destroy an opponent before they even get to the ring with him. It’s the same thing like a young Mike Tyson. He had the same thing.
“Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua, they are excellent fighters. They are good at the game. If Tyson wasn’t around they probably would be champions for the next ten years but there is one problem – he is around,” he concluded.