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Despite the draw, Tyson Fury had already secured the W in an even bigger fight
Tyson Fury was victim to poor judging in his draw against Deontay Wilder but he was already a winner in an even bigger fight against depression
When Tyson Fury became WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion in 2015, it was an achievement that most failed to call before the fight. In winning a unanimous points decision over Wladimir Klitschko, the man who had jabbed his way to heavyweight domination since 2004, he did what was considered impossible by many and he did it in Germany, the adopted home of the Klitschko brothers.
Fury was the holder of the most coveted prize in sport as heavyweight champion. And if anyone could inject the charisma back into what had become a division void of personality, it was Fury. He should have been catapulted to sporting stardom, headlining the biggest nights in boxing, and gaining adoration and big purses in the process. Alas, Fury’s mental health, compounded by the media projecting their prejudice and narrative of Fury not belonging at boxing’s top table, had other ideas.
Depression has a way of rewriting the most perfect life scripts for those subject to it. What were once forecast as the sunniest of days can instantly become transformed with the heaviest and darkest clouds. And for Fury, depression did just that at a time when his career should have represented the brightest of days.
A rematch with Klitschko was scheduled, only to be postponed twice. Meanwhile, Fury was spiralling into depression and had ballooned in weight. Mentally and physically, he was in no condition to assume his position as heavyweight champion. Although his battle with depression would have been much greater than any he had faced in the ring.
Like many others, I once felt we’d never see Tyson Fury back in the ring, or at least not at the level where he’d…
