Tommy and Tyson Fury are just weeks away from being involved in two of the biggest fights of the year.
On October 14, Tommy will face KSI in a fight that has captured the public’s imagination, selling out Manchester’s AO Arena in hours. Two weeks later, his older sibling Tyson will step into the ring for a huge crossover clash with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia.
There is a certain unpredictability with how the two unorthodox match-ups could play out, but one thing is clear: the two brothers will have the full backing of their dad John Fury.
The outspoken 59-year-old has never shied away from the spotlight during the rise of the Fury family, and took centre stage at last month’s press conference to promote Tommy’s fight with KSI when he flipped and kicked tables over to bring the event to a premature end.
His faith in his two sons is unwavering, but that doesn’t mean he is expecting an easy night for either.
John Fury will be supporting his sons Tommy and Tyson in their two huge fights next month
John believes Tommy (right) must forget about his family life to focus on beating KSI (left)
Tommy looks likely to enter the ring against KSI as the favourite, having outpointed Jake Paul earlier this year, but John has no intention of letting him rest on his laurels.
Fury Sr insists he will continue to push the 24-year-old to the limit in training for the huge domestic showdown, which means putting his family life with fiancée Molly-Mae and their baby Bambi on the backburner.
John says Tommy must put his family life with fiancée Molly-Mae and their baby Bambi on the backburner
‘His other life outside of boxing, he has to leave it behind like he hasn’t got it. When you come into training camp you’ve got nothing,’ John told Mail Sport.
‘You eat, drink, sleep, train, repeat. That’s all you do for eight weeks. And if he wants to Facetime his partner he does. He pops home at the weekend for an hour which we don’t mind because he’s very professional. And that’s it. Just train, train, train.’
Tommy has enlisted the help of another of his brothers, Roman, for his latest training camp.
John is in favour of the move, and believes Roman, who is in the infancy of his own professional career, can only help Tommy get into prime condition.
‘He’s a massive help to Tommy. They’re always competing against one another, they’re two brothers. Roman’s an exceptionally fit guy,’ John added.
‘He’s probably one of the fittest young men I’ve ever seen and he lives right. Roman lives like a man who’s been in the game 20 years. But he’s fit, he’s competitive, he’s always trying to beat Tommy, Tommy is always trying to beat him. He brings the best out of Tommy, and Roman can fight himself and that will be proven as well. He’s one to watch.
‘He’s on these Sky shows and whatever he can get on, nobody will be jumping up and down to fight Roman. Roman’s good, he brings the best out of Tommy. They’re training together day and night, it’s a great asset to him.’
Tommy outpointed Jake Paul in February, but John doesn’t expect his fight with KSI to go the distance
Tommy’s win against Paul in February was a cagey affair at times, with Fury emerging victorious largely due to controlling the fight with his jab.
John expects things to be very different this time around, though, and has warned YouTuber-turned-boxer KSI that his son is preparing to take him into deep waters.
‘This is not a boxing match, it’s a punch-up,’ John insisted. ‘If they think it’s going to be a boxing match, well that’s up to them. It’s an extended punch-up, and that’s what they’re going to get.
‘You can’t bring sparring partners in to replicate these guys, so what you’ve got to do, you’ve got to drag them into the trenches and you’ve got to draw them into a punch-up, which is everything but the kitchen sink. So, the winners are the fans.
‘Tommy’s too strong. He’s throwing guys about in the gym, 18 stone, like they’re featherweights. Listen, it’s going to be good, but it’s going to be explosive and it’s not going to be a long night. Not like the Jake Paul thing.
‘We’re training differently, and what we’re doing probably hasn’t been done before, so it’s a punch-up, fisticuffs!’
Attention will quickly turn to the Middle East after Tommy faces KSI, with Tyson aiming to prove he is the best heavyweight on the planet.
Like Tommy, Tyson will step through the ropes as the overwhelming favourite to get the job done, overcoming a man who has never boxed professionally before.
Tyson Fury is preparing to take on former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou
John expects all rules to go out the window, and thinks Ngannou could seriously hurt Tyson
But John has admitted to being concerned about Ngannou’s potential, and thinks his son could be in for a world of pain once the bell goes with the rulebook being thrown out the window.
‘Will Tyson come out unscathed? I doubt it. It’s going to be a rough, tough job,’ John explained.
‘I wouldn’t be surprised if Tyson got a broken arm or something or a broken leg. That’s what comes to mind because things get out of hand.
‘It all starts off “Oh, it’s an exhibition”. They ain’t no exhibitions, come on. I’ve had a load of them in my life and I’ve probably found an exhibition harder than anything I’ve ever done because both people have got egos and they want to prove a point, and Ngannou has got a point to prove.
‘The world’s watching, he’s got Mike Tyson with him, he’ll want to impress him. So all I see is action. Forget the rules, forget everything, they’re non-existent. That will be two gigantic men until they drop one another.
‘I’m fearful for Tyson for his welfare because you’ve seen the power he’s got. The power he’s got you wouldn’t want him to hit you. Tyson has got to be on his A-game.’
Should Fury get past Ngannou, there are likely to be calls for him to test himself against the heavyweight elite next.
An undisputed clash with Oleksandr Usyk has not materialised this year, while Anthony Joshua has been steadily rebuilding his career after consecutive losses to the Ukrainian.
Anthony Joshua is looking to secure a fight with Deontay Wilder for early next year
John does not believe Joshua will face Wilder (pictured) as the fight is too risky
Joshua has beaten Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius in 2023, and his team are currently negotiating a deal to fight former WBC king Deontay Wilder in early 2024.
Tyson secured knockout victories over Wilder in 2020 and 2021, and a win for Joshua over the American could set up a battle of the Brits next summer.
But John is adamant that talks will break down and Joshua will never face Wilder as there is too much jeopardy involved, with the loser potentially staring down the barrel of retirement.
‘It will never happen. It’s not happening. They’re not that daft,’ John stated.
John Fury was speaking to Mail Sport courtesy of Freebets.com where he works as a brand ambassador.