The Rise of the Heavyweight Champion of the World

Any fan of boxing will have heard of Tyson Fury, but even those who don’t take a particular interest in the sport might well be aware of this larger-than-life personality. With his flair for the dramatic and his love of fashion, Fury has made headlines for his fashion range and eye-catching outfits at press events as well as his performance in the ring.

Instantly recognisable for his immense size, standing at 6 foot 9 and weighing in at nearly 20 stone, Tyson Fury weighed just one pound when he was born. However, he overcame this inauspicious start and joined several other members of his family to begin boxing when he was just ten years old, after which he was trained by both his father and his uncle.

His amateur career saw Fury boxing for both England and Ireland, representing the latter three times on the international circuit and was a strong contender on the youth boxing scene in 2006 and 2007. During his junior career. He was ranked third in the world but didn’t make the cut for the 2008 Olympics.

However, this didn’t stop him from winning the 2008 Amateur Boxing Association super-heavyweight title with a 19:1 win over Damien Campbell, and it was following this victory that he turned professional. His over amateur record was 31-4 with a total of 26 knock outs.

Tyson Fury’s professional career

Fury hit the circuit with a bang, winning his first professional fight with a technical knockout in the first round against Hungarian fighter Bela Gyongyosi. He went on to have another six fights during 2009, all of which ended in knockouts before the fourth round.

In September 2009, Fury scored a contentious win against John McDermott, and the refereeing controversy led to the British Boxing Board of Control changing the rules to require three judges for future matches. The re-match came after two more Fury victories, against Tomas Mrazekand Hans-Joerg Blasko, and he eventually won against McDermott in a technical knock-out.

This win saw Fury take the English heavyweight title and he then went on to win his next three fights. He competed for the Commonwealth heavyweight title against Derek Chisora, with Chisora tipped as the favourite before the match.

Once again confounding expectations, the points decision was unanimously in Fury’s favour as he took that title as well. In the following years, he fought against some of the most well-regarded boxers in the world.

The opponent to beat was Wladimir Klitschko, and in 2015 he achieved his goal of beating the reigning heavyweight champion and taking the title. However, this was short-lived as his existing contract prevented him from taking part in the mandatory challenge match against Vyacheslav Glazkov.

After a turbulent few years, during which the boxer was plagued by mental health problems, substance abuse and weight gain, Fury had to relinquish his titles because he was unable to defend them. But, with the help of his family and trainer, Tyson Fury staged a comeback that left everyone astounded.

He regrouped and returned to the ring in style, losing more than 125 pounds to beat a swathe of opponents in both the UK and in the United States. By 2018, Fury was ready to try and regain his title in a match against World Boxing Council champion Deontay Wilder, but the fight ended in a controversial draw and the rematch wouldn’t take place until 2020.

By 2020, with another succession of wins under his belt, Fury was scheduled to fight Wilder again and sport betting fans found that the odds online were in his favour. training regime and newly-rediscovered motivation to win gave him the opportunity to land lots of strong blows and Wilder conceded defeat in the seventh round.

(Fury dominated Wilder in their second match up)

Tyson Fury’s comeback journey

 After winning the championship, Fury went on to defend his title against Wilder in a third match, knocking him out in the eleventh round after an exceedingly high energy and exciting match.

Tyson Fury spoke at length about the regime that helped him defend the championship title, describing a diet that featured six days a week of intense training. His schedule featured sessions to practice technique in the morning, followed by an afternoon of sparring.

Alongside core work and plenty of stretching, Fury also credits his change in lifestyle for his recent good form. Where he would previously have spent the time between fights drinking and gaining weight, he is now committed to a change of pace that incorporates plenty of sleep and a healthy diet featuring nutrient-packed shakes and six meals a day fresh fruit and vegetables and a wide variety of protein.

By adopting a healthier lifestyle even when he is not at training camp, Tyson Fury is reportedly in the best shape of his life, both physically and mentally. Having overcome so many demons, he is now keen to ensure that he stays on track to maintain his physical strength and speed.

This attention to detail and enthusiasm for prioritising his health will no doubt enable Fury to continue his current winning streak. A proposed fight with Anthony Joshua may well see him defeat another (ex) champion in the coming months or Usyk may be the man to beat. Only time will tell.

Roger Rehbein

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