John Fury is the father of Tyson Fury, he’s the one who gave the newborn that name, and oversaw his rise in the ranks of pugilism.
He was there front and center and in the corner of Tyson on the way up, but Tyson is a certified trainer hopper. After running through eight trainers in his pro career beforehand, he’s now with SugarHill Steward, with whom he linked up a couple months before his 2020 rematch with Deontay Wilder. That worked, and they seem to be a happy duo.
It seems John and Tyson aren’t as copacetic. Now, only they know for sure, but judging by the chat John did with BT Sport, he’s not seeing eye to eye with “The Gypsy King.”
Specifically, John Fury said that he isn’t on board with the change of plans, the shift from fighting Anthony Joshua in August, to Deontay Wilder on July 24.
“Tyson has 20,000 yes-men around him,” he said. “There’s a lot of leeches out there.” He called the switch “diabolical,” and said it looked like locusts swarming the big lad as he signed a contract.
“For my money, it’s a mistake. He can blame his team, can’t he? No one else. Anything rushed is no good, and that’s been rushed. He was fighting AJ, I want him to fight AJ. I have no interest in Deontay Wilder. So why’s he got to fight Wilder?
“I told him in a phone conversation, ‘Chuck the belt in the bin, let (Wilder) have it, come back and fight AJ like was planned. But who am I? I’m nobody, unfortunately.”
John said that if someone doesn’t “drive a Rolls Royce and live in a castle,” they won’t have Tyson’s ear.
He said he’s not sure if Tyson can raise his game for Wilder, and fears that maybe his boy will get complacent ahead of the third battle with Wilder. He did mention, a few times, that Tyson is a big boy and can steer his own ship.
John Fury says “the powers that be in America” are calling shots, and he’s puzzled, because why wouldn’t Wilder take a step-aside check, get paid for doing nothing, and then he could maybe fight the winner of a Fury-Joshua battle. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Tyson and AJ could get knocked off, he said, and that would mean the biggest Brit showdown of all time is no longer quite so big.
I can’t say it’s a surprise, family relations usually get affected when someone hits the big time, as Tyson has. New confidantes are chosen, and money becomes a point of contention, because the pot of gold doesn’t usually get parceled out as all parties see fit. But at least John and Tyson are civil and talking, that’s the bright side of it.