Tyson Fury’s father has admitted that his tendency to act ‘too quickly’ led him to gouge a man’s eye out, an incident that led to prison time for the 59-year-old.
On Monday (13 May), John Fury made headlines by headbutting one of Oleksandr Usyk’s teammates, five days before the Ukrainian fights Tyson to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion.
The confrontation in Saudi Arabia, where Fury vs Usyk plays out on Saturday, left John bloodied, while Usyk’s teammate Stanislav Stepchuk appeared unfazed. John later apologised for the incident, while Tyson labelled his father a “silly c***”.
In an interview published by The Telegraph on Tuesday, John reflected on his life regrets, saying: “One thing I should have done is a lot more thinking before acting. [There’s] the obvious…”
According to journalist Gareth A Davies, the Briton was referencing the incident that saw him found guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in 2011, after John gouged a man’s eye out in a brawl. He was handed an 11-year prison sentence and served time until 2015.
“Sometimes you can make a decision too quick, and that was my biggest downfall,” John continued, “but my father used to tell me that every day. He said, ‘Son, you react too quick, you’re not giving things enough thought. You’re jumping in…’
“I’ve changed, but it’s all too late in life. I’ve had to [change], because I’ve got to bite my lip every day.”
“Gypsy John” is a former boxer and bare-knuckle fighter, who has intermittently coached Tyson and Tommy Fury – Tyson’s half-brother.
“I’m an outspoken man, I wear my heart on my sleeve,” John added. “I say it how it is, and in today’s world, there aren’t enough people who say it how it is, because they’ve got to think of the job, they’ve got to think of what other people think.
“I’m not interested in that, because money is not my forte. I’ve got a roof over my head, I’ve got an old car to drive, I’ve got a few pounds in my pocket, I’ll say what I want to say.”
Fury vs Usyk will air live on DAZN worldwide, at a cost of £24.99 for new subscribers and £23.99 for existing customers. New subscribers will receive a free month’s subscription for the above cost. You can also purchase a DAZN subscription here, with plans starting at £9.99 a month. We may earn commission from this link, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
