John Fury would like to see his son sack anybody in his team who isn’t ‘loyal’ – and that includes trainer SugarHill Steward.
Fury linked up with Steward – nephew of legendary coach Emanuel – for his second Deontay Wilder fight.
The American brought certain Detroit methods to the gym that allowed a typically fleet of foot and accumulative puncher in Fury to unlock his power and stop Wilder in the seventh.
Fury and Steward have partnered for three more fights since, all ending in knockouts.
That doesn’t matter to John Fury – who has, incidentally, praised the trainer in the past. Tyson’s father told the Metro that his son was surrounded by people who didn’t deserve to be there.
The comments come in the aftermath of negotiations for a fight with Oleksandr Usyk collapsing, and Fury is taking the brunt of the blame from fans and pundits.
“Tyson knows my opinion and that is all those people wrapped around him want sacking. The full lot. If they talk about loyalty, that’s not loyalty as far as I’m concerned. If you are stood by your man, shoulder to shoulder, you take it all.
You’re not going to pass the blame or distance yourself from him. Tyson is my son and I will stand with him until the day I die.”
The elder Fury went on to speak about Steward specifically. Comments from the trainer about being in the UK only to train Lawrence Okolie – likely because there was no official contract or date for Fury’s Usyk fight – rubbed him up the wrong way.
“That thing with SugarHill the other day, what the hell was that about? ‘I’m only here for Okolie.’ What was he talking about? When I have seen him training Tyson, he was living in Tyson’s house, he had his missus there, he was using the gym and I have seen him working Tyson out.
And all of a sudden denied him like Judas Iscariot denied Jesus Christ? What the hell was going on there? For me, that is a sacking offence. He will be down the road for that charade.
It was upsetting. Tyson just falls in love with these people and finds out they are not who they seem to be. It is all about pound signs and he has put SugarHill where is.”
John Fury finished by advising his son to cut ties with anybody who didn’t stick by his side.
“Get rid of them all. They all want to be his best mate but as soon as things get a bit sticky and he gets a few bad comments, people want to distance themselves from him.”
‘The Gypsy King’ is currently without an opponent, and will not be forced into defending his title until the WBC decide on a mandatory challenger – something they have been attempting since November of last year.