When Tyson Fury suffered a horrible cut early in his showdown with Otto Wallin in Las Vegas in September 2019, his unbeaten record appeared to be in grave danger.
The fact the gaping wound over Fury’s eye was caused by a punch meant if it caused the fight to be stopped at any stage, Fury would lose his 0. Proof of the peril he was in came from promoter Eddie Hearn – who said: “I think any other country in the world, they would have stopped the fight.”
Somehow Fury made it through the 12 rounds to register a hard-fought unanimous points victory – having come close to seeing his dreams of that eagerly-awaited upcoming rematch with Deontay Wilder scuppered completely.
The man who played a big part in saving Fury that night was his cut man Jorge Capetillo, and it’s clear ‘The Gypsy King’ knows the debt of gratitude he owes to the man who worked tirelessly to keep the cut manageable. In fact he’s still repaying it.
Capetillo told Sky Sports: “He is still very grateful. When he knew we were locked down because of COVID-19 and my gym was closed, he texted me and said: ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’
“He is still taking care of me. He sent me money. I was supposed to be with Jessie Vargas in New York on March 14 but the fight was cancelled and I came home with empty pockets. I was scared, I didn’t know what to do.
“He knew Jessie’s fight was cancelled. He asked about my family and what he could do. He said: ‘I’ll sort out some money for your family so you can be good’. Such generosity for me and my family.
“He is a great man, so humble. He had the time to ask how I was doing with my family during this crisis.”
Capetillo also explained in detail what went through his head when Fury suffered the cut, and how he continued to deal with it as the fraught night wore on.
“We all go through tough moments and that was his. Round by round I knew that I just needed to give him one more round and he would win the fight. I was telling him: ‘You are the better fighter’.
“He has gone through difficult things in fights. That makes him, in life, a better man and a better fighter. It was the worst cut I’ve ever seen and I hope it stays the worst cut I see.
“My feeling? I had to keep calm and transmit that we had everything under control. He needed secureness. I controlled the bleeding and told him: ‘Everything will be good’.”
