Heavyweight champ Tyson Fury is known for his knockout punches and larger-than-life personality – and he is gearing up for a titanic clash with Oleksandr Usyk.
While he’s got the nation’s backing as he heads into the ring in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday night, it’s no secret that ‘The Gypsy King’ has ruffled more than a few feathers with his off-the-cuff remarks over the years. Despite being a fan favourite with his cheeky charm and fearless attitude, Fury’s track record isn’t spotless when it comes to his words.
He’s landed himself in hot water before, notably back in 2013 when he copped a hefty £3,000 fine from the Boxing Board of Control. His offence?
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A Twitter, now X, tirade where he called fellow pugilists David Price and Tony Bellew ‘gay lovers’, among other unsavoury comments. Robert Smith at the Boxing Board of Control spoke with Telegraph Sport at the time, expressing his shock at Fury’s online antics compared to the bloke he knew personally. “What he did was wrong,” Smith admitted.
“He is a licence holder with us and he was abusing other licence holders. It is unacceptable and he has told us he has put a stop to it. Tyson was not doing himself any favours. The person posting on Twitter is not the mature individual who myself and other members of the Board have come across and know. It had to end.”
The Mirror report in response to the steep £3,000 fine, Fury claimed that the public loved his brash outspokenness though he admitted that it may be time to rein it in a bit. After receiving the penalty, he lamented: “People like outspoken people and I am outspoken, but when you are getting hit for three grand, it’s time to maybe quieten down a bit. The board has been more than lenient with me and it was a hefty fine that I will take on the chin.”
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However, Fury’s promise of silence was short-lived as in October of that year, he once again found himself in a social media brinkmanship with former British heavyweight Lennox Lewis and Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko. A series of homophobic tweets eventually led to another inquiry by the British Boxing Board of Control, as confirmed at the time by PinkNews.
The boxing champ then caused a stir in 2015 when he made provocative and offensive remarks equating homosexuality and abortion to paedophilia. In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, the then 27 year old fighter warned: “There are only three things that need to be accomplished before the devil comes home. One of them is homosexuality being legal in countries; one of them is abortion; and the other is paedophilia.”
However, things took an unfortunate turn when a video clip emerged post his win against Wladimir Klitschko. In the clip, Fury’s response to a question about women in sports was troublingly misogynistic.
When asked, Fury responded: “I think they are very nice when they’re walking around that ring holding them cards. I like them actually; they give me inspiration when I’m tired and I see them wiggling around with their Round 2, Round 8. I think women in boxing is very good.”
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Things turned even more distasteful when he shared his views on women in the workplace. He stated: “It’s up to everybody what they want to do. I’m all for it; I’m not a sexist. I believe if a man can to go work all his life a woman can.
“Who am I to say ‘Don’t do that ’cause you’re a girl?’ But I believe a woman’s best place is in the kitchen and on her back. That’s my personal belief. Making me a good cup of tea that’s what I believe.”
Fury rekindled his rivalry with fellow boxer David Haye in 2016 using homophobic slurs on Twitter after failing a drug test, launching a series of digs at his competitor. Further divisive comments were added to his repertoire when anti-Semitic remarks made by him came to light in a Guardian-released video, during the same year.
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Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set to lock horns in a huge clash this month with each fighter attempting to etch their names in boxing history as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999. The stakes couldn’t be higher as the pair will go head to head for the prestigious WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF titles.
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Tyson Fury’s controversial rants sparked a storm when he was up for the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year. A whopping 130,000 signatures were gathered to boot him off the shortlist, but the Beeb held firm on his nomination.
Tennis ace Andy Murray snagged the gong, but not before Fury faced a grilling from Gary Lineker live on stage, where he offered an olive branch, saying: “If I’ve said anything in the past that’s hurt anybody, I apologise. I’ve said a lot of stuff in the past and none of it with intentions to hurt anybody… It’s all very tongue in cheek, it’s all fun and games to me. I’m not a very serious kind of person it’s all very happy-go-lucky with Tyson Fury.”
But rewind three years and Fury was blasting the BBC bash, adamant about being axed from the SPOTY lineup, even threatening to sue if they dared nominate him in 2021. Reflecting on his history of controversies and feuds, Fury admitted much of it was just him donning ‘a part’.
In his 2019 tell-all, ‘Behind the Mask’, he confessed: “I started playing this part, being arrogant and cocky. I eventually lost myself in this character.”
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Fury opened up: “I went into the paid ranks off the back of an amateur career during which I was aware of racism against travellers. This made me an outsider and so I felt that for me to get the attention I needed to be an attraction in the sport, I had to play the outlaw.”
No matter the controversy over his previous statements, a considerable number of supporters will unquestionably cheer on Fury in the square-off versus Usyk.
However, those stung by his past comments might re-think their backing. Another cause for worry for many, especially the LGBTIQA+ community, is the location of Fury’s fresh bout in Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is forbidden under Sharia law.
Despite the ongoing scrutiny of the country’s recent emergence as a top contender for world-class events’ hosts, several international sports stars have voiced apprehensions or sought assurances prior to participating in the nation. Despite this apprehension, it appears Saudi Arabia’s new status as a global sporting event hotspot isn’t slowing down any time soon.