John Fury says his son Tyson is making a mistake by agreeing so swiftly to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time on July 24.
‘The Gypsy King’ (30-0-1) had been lined up to face Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia on August 14, but those plans were ruined when Wilder won an arbitration ruling forcing Fury to give him that trilogy fight.
Within days Tyson was signing his contract to meet Wilder live on ESPN during coverage of Josh Taylor vs Jose Ramirez, but his dad John does not like the way this has all happened. Fury Sr says his pleas for his son to come home and assess the situation before making his next move fell on deaf ears.
Situation is diabolical – John Fury
He told BT Sport: “It’s diabolical isn’t it. You’re geared up to fight one man and all of a sudden on the 11th hour it’s all sorted in 24 hours. He’s signing contracts in the hall of a boxing venue. They’re round him like locust, I think to myself ‘how can you think straight with all that round you’.
“For my money it’s a mistake, but 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’ve no interest in Deontay Wilder. So why’s he gotta fight Wilder. I told him on a phone conversation: ‘chuck the belt in the bin, let ’em have it, come back and fight AJ on the 14th of August like was planned.
Explosive interview! Big John Fury has his say on Tyson Fury v Anthony Joshua collapsing ????
He's warned his son against complacency, with a third fight with Deontay Wilder now officially signed ???????? pic.twitter.com/4v7z7TTgCZ
— Boxing on BT Sport ???? (@BTSportBoxing) May 28, 2021
“But who am I? I’m nobody unfortunately, a voice that only a certain amount of people hear. And because you don’t drive a Rolls Royce and live in a castle, it falls on deaf ears doesn’t it.”
The biggest fight in British boxing history could still happen later this year, but first both Fury and Joshua have tough assignments – against Wilder and Oleksandr Usyk respectively. Big John has grave fears that either or both could become complacement, lose and ruin for good that dream match.
“I’m just concerned whether Tyson can raise his game for Wilder, whether he gets complacent, makes a mistake,” he explained.
Badly handled
“It’s got every chance of going wrong out there because I don’t like how it’s been handled, it’s been badly handled. That’s just my opinion, no-one else’s. Tyson knows what he’s doing.
“I said: ‘Get back on a plane, let’s have a look at the situation properly and let’s assess it. But there’s no bright lights and glitz here is there, Wythenshawe. What would you do? Wanna be in Vegas or Wythenshawe? Let me tell you – if you wanna keep your WBC belt you’re better in Wythenshawe.”
Fury Sr clearly fears things could go horribly wrong for his son in the next eight weeks, reasoning: “But Tyson obviously is in a different league now, 20,000 yes men around him.
“This is what happens when you get to the top, there’s a lot of leeches out there, a lot of hangers-on, you can see what’s happening in America with him, appalling work to be honest with you but that’s just my opinion, I’m straightforward. But that’s Tyson’s business, he’s over 21, it’s up to him.
“He’s signed a contract in the hall of a boxing venue. Put it under his nose, ‘here, sign that’. Business isn’t done lie that is it? Crazy, Tyson, watch what you’re doing out there had – enough said.”
