Despite all his accomplishments in the sport of boxing, Tyson Fury has revealed that his single biggest driver was beating one man.
In 2015 deep in Germany, Fury dethroned Wladimir Klitschko, ending a championship run that had lasted for almost a decade – the second longest in the division’s history.
Fury returned to Great Britain as WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight champion, but he claims that holding those belts meant nothing – rather claiming that defeating the elite Ukrainian was all that mattered.
He explained to IFL TV.
“Klitschko, all those years ago in the press conference, he said ‘You want me belts don’t you? You want what I have.’ I said no. I don’t. I couldn’t give a f**k about any of that. I just want to punch your face in mate.
And he didn’t understand it, but I hope he can understand it today. None of that was ever, ever, ever what I wanted. I just wanted to beat that man. And then when I beat him, Everest was over. It was done. My lifetime achievement goal finished through beating him.
It was always about beating Klitschko. I was obsessed with the man for years. Obsession is a crazy thing to have for something … No one gave me a chance. And when I beat him, that was it.”
It makes sense then that Fury suffered after the victory, then a man with no goals or purpose. Following years of addiction and depression, he returned to the sport.
Now though, he claims that he’s not driven by the same sort of thing. The WBC champion believes that training and fighting keep him sane, and that belts, rivalries or legacy are simply things that come with.
Whether he likes it or not, he’s heading towards a historic contest with another Ukrainian in Oleksandr Usyk. The pair are expected to face off for the undisputed championship in early 2023.