WHEN TYSON FURY returns to the ring on Saturday, he will capture the attention of thousands who usually do not watch boxing.
That’s because Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) transcends boxing with star quality, and notoriety, that is big enough to inspire two documentary seasons about his life on Netflix, which also screens Saturday’s non-title fight vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov.
As well as what the former world heavyweight champion has achieved in the ring which includes five world title fights wins, his fame is also explained by his charisma, showmanship and amusing, sometimes controversial, comments.
People tune in not just for his fights, but for ‘The Gypsy King’ performer, who has been carried to the ring on a throne, has sung in the ring after fights and keeps fans hooked with an unpredictability of what he might say or do next.
Just take his stance on how he has prepared for his latest comeback, which he says is to “make boxing great again” after the sport missed his absence. After spending the past three months in Thailand preparing without a trainer, Fury has refused to confirm who will be in his corner at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when he faces Russian Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs) in his first outing since a points loss to world No. 1 Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024.
Fury, 37, recently told ESPN on a call from his training camp: “Training is going very good over here. When I first came to Thailand I had no intention of boxing [again], zero boxing. I came over here at Christmas for a holiday with my family and one thing led to another and I’ve not been home since. It’s been a good little Christmas holiday. It’s positive and what’s not to like in Thailand.
“It doesn’t matter who is going to be in the corner, some local gym guy, whoever is available on the night.”
Other controversies have been more serious. Eleven years ago, he was investigated after backlash into anti-gay comments that he made. He has also been criticised for sexist remarks. Fury denied trying to “hurt anybody” after a petition gained thousands of signatures to remove him from the 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, a prize he was nominated for after beating Wladimir Klitschko. There was a positive test for cocaine. But he denied knowingly taking a banned substance despite the discovery of elevated levels of nandrolone metabolites in his system from before he beat Klitschko — in 2017, he accepted a back-dated two-year ban which UK Anti-Doping described as “a compromise.”
FURY HAS BEEN unconventional and surprising since the day he turned professional aged 20 in December 2008. On the undercard of Carl Froch’s points win over Jean Pascal to begin his reign as world super middleweight champion, Fury stopped Bela Gyongyosi with a crunching left to the body in two rounds.
“I was happy enough with my pro debut considering I only got back from honeymoon on the Wednesday before the Saturday fight,” Fury said. “I was with my new wife Paris in the Algarve when I got a call and it was all a bit rushed, but my timing was there and it was a good finish.”
Many of the British boxing press were not even there to witness his debut at the Nottingham Arena as Amir Khan was boxing elsewhere in England. Fury’s pro bow almost went under the radar, with focus that week dominated by Froch’s first world title fight and Khan’s return after losing his unbeaten professional record.
But gradually interest built in Fury, with his trash talking that once earned him a fine from the British Boxing Board of Control for swearing and saw him tape his mouth shut for a subsequent press conference in 2014.
Also during Fury’s early years as a professional, he accidentally punched himself in the face with an uppercut during one fight vs. Lee Swaby in 2009 and then said: “I’m not going to beat myself up about it.”
Fury relentlessly taunted Klitschko, then the dominant world champion, long before he fought the Ukrainian in 2015. Fury was used as a sparring partner by Klitschko at one of his training camps in Austria in 2011. After beating local hero Martin Rogan in Belfast in 2012, Fury said: “I believe I’ve got one over on him [Klitschko] already. We had a sauna competition out at his training camp in Austria and I mentally broke him down.
“I almost passed out in the sauna before I got out. We were in there with a few of his training team and everyone was getting out after 10 minutes.
“Me and him stayed in. It got to 15 minutes and I was having to count down the seconds in my head just to get through it.
“I was putting the oil on myself and eventually he got up in a huff and walked out without speaking to anyone. I had done him. I’ve watched Wladimir at his training camp and I know how to beat him.”
IN JULY 2015, Fury told Klitschko at a news conference: “You have as much charisma as my underpants. The whole of Europe wants you to get beat. You look old — have you had Botox? You speak 47 different languages, for what? You’re still a robotic person. You’re not fun and exciting to watch.”
Months later, Fury was late for another news conference in London to announce his first world title fight vs. Klitschko. Poor timekeeping was not unusual, but his entrance when it came was jaw dropping. Fury burst into the room dressed as Batman, then jumped down from the top table and had a mock scuffle with a man dressed as The Joker.
Fury then turned to a stunned Klitschko, said ‘you’re next’, and walked out.
After marching out with The Joker, Fury then re-entered the conference room wearing a smart suit and said: “Sorry, I’m late.”
Klitschko called Fury a clown, but the challenger had only just got started on his baiting.
In fight week in November, Fury sang to Klitschko and then headbutted a melon for a social media post. On the afternoon of the fight, he threatened to pull out unless a layer of the ring apron was taken up.
After beating Klitschko on points, Fury said: “I saw in his eyes tonight he was going to lose the fight and he saw the new, hungry champion in me. Will it change me? I’m heavyweight champion and I’ve still got Slazenger socks on.”
Fury had outboxed Klitschko and shot to international fame yet a few weeks ago he told ESPN: “I don’t really have fond memories of any of them [his fight], I don’t think about them after the event which is mad to say. They could be really exciting fights and I knock them out, but after the event I don’t think about them. I suppose my Everest was Wladimir Klitschko because I became world champion, and then the rest of it was a bonus, all the way.”
In the subsequent decade, Fury has gone on to kiss opponents at weigh ins, licked blood off Deontay Wilder’s shoulder during a world title fight, released lobsters (named Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi) at a seafood restaurant near a beach in Spain, sung in the ring after numerous fights, and recently tickled Makhmudov under his chin. He has called opponents and rivals dossers, sausages, big stiff idiots, bodybuilders, donkeys, robots and more recently referred to Usyk as a rabbit.
It is no surprise that Netflix has produced two seasons following the boxer, whose entertainment value has shown no sign of waning over the years. As for where his boxing is at after 16 months out, and with him now being a veteran, we will find out on Saturday. But win or lose, Fury’s magnetic appeal will remain intact.
