24 October 2023 , 13:06
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John Fury stepped in the ring 13 times as a professional boxer and had just £4,000 to show for it after hanging up his gloves.
The dad of heavyweight champion Tyson and Love Island star Tommy lost his professional debut in 1987 but learned from his lessons after going unbeaten in his next seven fights. John failed to ever reach world level in his boxing career and he retired after suffering consecutive knockout losses to former WBO champion Henry Akinwade and Steve Garber.
Little is known about John's bare-knuckle boxing career but he often claims his days of unsanctioned brawling went a lot better than his professional stint in the ring. Ironically, he earned more for his bare-knuckle boxing career as he once boasted about winning £100,000 from just one fight.
Reflecting on his days as a professional boxer in his new autobiography, John writes: "In my short professional career of thirteen fights, I beat the Welsh and also the Italian champion on points over ten rounds, and in 1991 was ranked third in the country and fourth in Europe.
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"I wasn’t getting the fights, with only thirteen bouts over eight years. I quickly became dispirited with ‘The Fancy’. It’s not only about talent. Making it as an international champion involves a cosmic set of conditions beyond your diet and fitness level; it’s about having the right people and trainers around you and the time being right. Without somebody looking out for me, I managed to get to title level.
"Sometimes I idly speculate how far I could’ve got if I’d enjoyed the benefits of sponsorship, and career guidance and support, and hadn’t had to do two jobs just to keep my family afloat financially. I wasn’t making any real money from Queensberry Rules boxing; in thirteen fights as a pro over an eight-year period.
"I made less than £4,000. Fighters often make excuses after they’ve been beaten, but some of my challenges were laughably one sided. Like when I fought Neil Malpass. It was my first ten-rounder, and at the time I had only had a handful of fights and experienced six two-minute rounds, while he had had over forty professional fights. I lost narrowly on points."
John was jailed in 2011 and spent four years behind bars after being found guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm for gouging a man's eye out in a brawl. Since his release, John has been heavily involved in both Tommy and Tyson's boxing careers and he will be in Saudi Arabia this Saturday for his eldest son's crossover fight against Francis Ngannou.
When Fury Takes Over, by John Fury, is out on Thursday