Why was Tyson Fury banned from boxing as a junior? A look into 'The Gypsy King's brief suspension from the sport
Tyson Fury’s physical attributes weren’t always an advantage used in his boxing career.
Over the past fifteen years, ‘The Gypsy King’ has solidified himself as one of the greatest professional heavyweight boxers of all time. Yet, his journey to greatness started before he fought under professional rules for the first time.
At the age of fourteen, Fury towered over most teenagers after quickly growing to 6’ 4”, 200+ pounds. As a result, he wasn’t allowed to fight until turning sixteen, when he could find opponents with similar attributes.
Since then, ‘The Gypsy King’ has evolved into a heavyweight great. The 35-year-old holds a professional boxing record of 33-0-1, with his lone draw against Deontay Wilder. He last fought in December 2022, defeating Derek Chisora with a tenth-round TKO.
Tyson Fury claims influencer boxing led to his upcoming fight against Francis Ngannou
On Saturday, October 28, Tyson Fury will face former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in a ten-round boxing match. The intriguing matchup was teased for over a year before they finally signed the contract.
During an interview with iFL TV, Fury had this to say about wanting to fight Ngannou after seeing his brother, Tommy Fury, find success in influencer boxing:
“I seen Tommy fight Jake Paul and all the opportunities to fight all these other guys and KSI and his brother and all these other people. I thought, 'I wonder if there's anybody my size' and this fight's come up and, obviously, he's my size.” [6:20-7:00]
Fury continued:
“So, I'm happy, very happy, and for Francis Ngannou, other doors have opened. So big shout out, Francis. Kept me in the game, kept me in the boxing game and get me paid a sh** ton of money." [6:20-7:00]
Tyson Fury is a massive betting favorite against 'The Predator'. Yet, Ngannou’s legendary power shouldn’t be underestimated. It’ll be intriguing to see if ‘The Predator’ can silence the doubters and secure one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.
Following his upcoming fight, Fury is expected to fight Oleksandr Usyk for undisputed world champion status in the heavyweight boxing division. Both fighters have signed a contract, but an official date hasn’t been confirmed. The must-see fight will likely take place in early 2024.