Boxing

Tyson Fury: Age, titles, net worth, professional boxing record & next fight

bet365 News Team Updated: 22 May 24 10:04

Everything you need to know about one of the top pound-for-pound boxers on the planet - the two-time heavyweight champion of the world, Tyson Fury.

Tyson Fury Profile:

Born:	August 12th, 1988
Age:	35
Birthplace:	Manchester, England
Nickname:	'The Gypsy King'
Height:	6ft 9ins
Reach:	85ins
Stance:	Switch-hitter
Division:	Heavyweight
Professional record:	34-1-1 (24 KOs)
Amateur record:	31-4

The making of Tyson Fury:

In 2008, Tyson Fury turned professional at just 20 years of age.

His first seven opponents were unable to cope with his imposing physical dimensions, hand speed, foot work and unorthodox angles, as each of them were halted inside four rounds.

Nine months after his debut, Fury faced the first real test of his career as he challenged John McDermott for the English title.

In his two previous bouts, McDermott had fallen agonisingly short of winning the British strap against (former Mike Tyson conqueror) Danny Williams, finding himself on the wrong side of split and majority decisions.

On the night, it appeared that the veteran had done enough to retain his belt and derail the hype surrounding his opponent, however, the referee, controversially, disagreed scoring the fight in favour of the challenger.

Nine months later, ‘The Gypsy king’ proved he is the better man, dropping McDermott three times en-route to a ninth-round victory.

A star is born...

In July 2011, Fury challenged Dereck Chisora for the British and Commonwealth titles.

The battle of two young, undefeated, trash talking heavyweights, on terrestrial television captured the imagination of the British public, with promoter Mick Hennessy claiming the broadcast pulled in three million viewers.

Despite the fact that Fury was the naturally bigger man, Chisora was the favourite with the bookmakers as there was a perception that ‘The Gypsy King’ would be unable to handle the pressure of the champion.

Sadly, the build-up was more entertaining than the fight itself as Fury won a wide unanimous decision.

Fury continued to draw large viewing numbers on Channel 5 as he defeated Nicolai Firtha, Neven Pajkic, Martin Rogan, Vinny Madalone, and Kevin Johnson, although he had to climb off the canvass against Pajkic.

World title contention...

After the Pajkic fight, Fury parted company with his uncle and trainer Hughie, in favour of linking up with another uncle Peter, and under his tutelage, Fury added method to his madness and he began to climb the world rankings.

The next step for ‘The Gypsy King’ was to headline in America against, former cruiserweight world champion, Steve Cunningham.

Due to previous criminal convictions, Peter was unable to travel to the United States.

Without the calming influence of his uncle in the corner, Fury became reckless and suffered a hard knockdown in the second round, although he did come back to win a wild, foul-filled fight in the seventh round.

A rematch against Chisora took place the following year.

Once again, Chisora was unable to solve the problems posed by the Fury and retired at the end of the 10th round, cutting a frustrated figure. Victory earned Fury the British and European straps as well as a shot at heavyweight lynchpin Wladimir Klitschko.

(Gypsy) King of the world...

While Fury waited for his chance to challenge Klitschko, he produced an impressive display to stop Christian Hammer, in the eighth round.

Nine months later, the Englishman travelled to Dusseldorf to face the long reigning WBO, WBA and IBF champion of the world.

Fury was a significant underdog but upset the odds with a masterful display to dethrone Klitschko, winning a unanimous decision.

In the past, Fury had been erratic and prone to lapses in concentration, but on the night, he was disciplined and focussed.

In the wilderness...

Ten days after shocking the world, the IBF stripped Fury of their title as he was unable to face their mandatory challenger, Vyacheslav Glazkov as ‘The Gypsy King’ was contractually obliged to take on Klitschko a second time.

The rematch was set for July 2016, in Manchester. On 24 June 2016, it was announced that the fight would be pushed back to a later date due to Fury sustaining an ankle sprain.

Coincidentally, that also happened to be the day UK Anti-doping charged Fury with “presence of a prohibited substance” after nandrolone was found in his system following his victory over Hammer - the British fighter subsequently relinquished his world title straps.

During this time, Fury sunk into a deep depression and ballooned in weight.

Return of the Mack...

On 12 December 2017, UKAD resolved the case, handing Fury a backdated ban from December 2013.

Fury was free to fight, but out of shape. During his period of inactivity, Fury’s relationship with Peter deteriorated.

Upon his return he linked up with Ben Davison, who helped the former champion get back into shape.

Two-and-a-half years after reaching the summit of the heavyweight division, Fury returned to the ring, forcing, the unheralded Sefer Seferi to retire on his stool at the end of the fourth frame.

Two months later, ‘The Gypsy King’ also outpointed Francesco Pianeta.

The Deontay Wilder Trilogy...

In December 2018, Fury challenged Deontay Wilder for the WBC heavyweight title.

The American was 40-0 and with 39 knockouts. Wilder has his limitations, but his vaunted right hand is capable of knocking out any fighter.

However, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ was unable to land the shot for large portions of the fight, finding the challenger too elusive.

In the ninth, Wilder floored Fury, but the Englishman got back to his feet. Going into the final round, many observers felt the champion needed a knockout to win and it appeared he had achieved that when he sent Fury crashing to the mat.

Many felt the fight was over, but somehow, Fury rose again to hear the final bell.

Afterwards, the judges were unable to split them and the fight was deemed a draw, although the majority of fans and pundits believed Fury had done enough, despite the knockdown.

The pair met again in February 2020. This time, Fury had teamed up with trainer SugarHill Steward.

‘The Gypsy King’ appeared revitalised. If Fury outfoxed Wilder in their first encounter, he outfought the Alabama native second time around; sending Wilder to the floor twice before obliging the referee to stop the bout in the seventh round.

Fury was champion of the world once more!

An undisputed clash against Anthony Joshua fell through after a judge ruled that Fury was contractually obliged to fight Wilder a third time.

It was a match-up few wanted given the conclusive manner in which the Englishman won last time.

Yet, the battle was a classic as Fury was knocked down twice, but Wilder was on the floor on three occasions. Fury eventually brought the thriller to a close in the 11th.

British battles...

In April 2022, Fury defended his WBC title against Dillian Whyte, at Wembley Stadium.

Whyte was the WBC mandatory challenger but was simply no match for the champion, who stopped the fight in the sixth round after scoring a highlight-reel knockdown with a right uppercut.

Eight months later, Fury faced Dereck Chisora for a third time, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Like the other instalments of their trilogy, ‘The Gypsy King’ was too good for the valiant challenger.

Chisora was brave and absorbed many shots, but the referee halted the bout in the 10th round with ‘Del Boy’ under heavy fire.

Battle of the Baddest

When Fury and Francis Ngannou locked horns in Saudi Arabia, everyone knew how the bout would play out...

The former UFC champion would be aggressive but ineffective, ‘The Gypsy King’ would play with his opponent for a round or two before bringing the fight to a close at whichever stage he chose.

However, Ngannou did not read the script.

Ngannou made a mockery of many pre-fight predictions by boxing a clever a fight; bloodying, bruising and dropping the lineal ruler of the sweet science.

Ultimately, the MMA fighter’s valiant efforts were in vain as two of the three judges favoured Fury, handing the Englishman victory via split decision.

Although, many observers felt that the Cameroonian had done enough to have his hand raised.

Usyk for Undisputed?

In the immediate aftermath of the Ngannou fight, Fury was joined in the ring by, WBA, WBO and IBF king, Oleksandr Usyk.

Ahead of ‘The Battle of the Baddest,’ it had been announced that an agreement had been reached for the two heavyweight titlists to face off in the near future.

A date of 23 December had been rumoured but a cut sustained by the Englishman may have put paid to those plans, with the fight confirmed for Saturday 17th February, 2024.

That was until Fury suffered a 'freak cut' in sparring less than two weeks out from the fight, meaning, once again, the scheduled bout was postponed.

Thankfully however, a new date was announced swiftly, with the Undisputed showdown scheduled for Saturday 18th May.

'Ring of Fire' lives up to the hype...

It had been over 24 years since a fighter last held all the belts in the heavyweight division.

The list of men to have done so in the modern era is a remarkable one, featuring the likes of: Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman.

On Saturday 18th May, ‘The Gypsy King’ had the opportunity to etch his name alongside those legends of the sport, when he battled Oleksandr Usyk for all the marbles.

At the midway point, it appeared the Englishman would do just that as he had his foe hurt and was in the ascendancy.

However, the Ukrainian, against all odds, turned the fight in his favour and was on the verge of a knockout victory in the ninth.

Somehow, Fury survived, once more, relying on his astonishing powers of recouperation, but it was not enough.

Usyk prevailed by split decision on the scorecards.

Fury will get a crack at redemption as he immediately declared he intends to invoke his rematch clause, with the pair likely to run it back in October.

While the man from Morecombe will start the bout as an underdog, never rule out ‘The Gypsy King.’

Tyson Fury Net Worth...

Tyson Fury's net worth is reported to be in excess of $120 million.

How to watch Tyson Fury...

Tyson Fury fights exclusively on TNT Sports. ‘The Gypsy King’s’ scheduled rematch Usyk is likely to be shown on TNT Sports Box Office as well as Sky Sports Box Office and DAZN.

Who is Tyson Fury's trainer?

The esteemed American trainer SugarHill Steward currently oversees Tyson Fury's training and fight preparation with the pair having established an incredibly close working and personal relationship over recent years.