23 Oct Tyson Fury’s Faith, Hope and Boxing Glory
It’s unusual for a boxer to be invited to meet the Pope, but then Tyson Fury isn’t your average boxer. The self-titled ‘Gypsy King’, who recently held onto the coveted WBC heavyweight title against Deontay Wilder, is surely the greatest heavyweight boxer of his time. Further testament to his success, Tyson Fury’s net worth is an estimated £80-£120 million, plus he has a loving family and wife of 13 years, Paris.
A fit and fearless fighter, Fury also has a secret weapon in his armoury: his faith.
Born into an Irish traveling family, Tyson is proudly Catholic and unusually for a British sportsman, isn’t afraid to show it.
In case you missed his recent interview following the Wilder showdown, Fury donning a baseball cap emblazoned with ‘Jesus, El Ray Viene’ (the King is coming) across it, took a refreshingly empathetic approach to his opponent, saying: “I’m a sportsman. I went over to him to show him some love and respect and he didn’t want to give it back, so that’s his problem – I’ll pray for him so God will soften his heart.”
As if we were in any doubt about his love of the Lord, not long after he took to Twitter to add: “Thank you to my lord and saviour Jesus Christ!”
Is Catholicism his secret weapon?
Tyson Fury’s age is 33, which means he entered the ring some 13 years ago. Since then he’s built a formidable career, at times blighted with a very public battle around his mental health and drug and alcohol addiction. Yet two constants have seen him through – Tyson Fury’s family and faith.
It begs the question, has Catholicism pushed Fury forward, whilst keeping him on the right path?
In 2016, at quite possibly his lowest ebb having succumb to drink and drugs and losing his athletic physique in the process, Tyson found himself in a dark place. He revealed in an interview: “If I could take me own life – and I wasn’t a Christian – I’d take it in a second.”
Had it been any other sports person, the outlook might have been very different. But for Fury, what happened next is one of the greatest sporting comebacks of all time. He cleaned up and reclaimed his heavyweight title not once, but twice.
Was it down to belief, determination, resilience? Possibly, but there’s another reason too.
Tyson credits his faith to showing him the way, saying: “I got down on my knees and I was crying out to God for help…. I got up off the floor after praying for like 20 minutes of something, and I felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders.”
Today Fury is the unlikely poster boy for Christianity and an ambassador for mental health charities. You need only look at Tyson Fury’s Instagram page and his legion of 5 million followers, to know this is man of great influence. His straight-talking stance is simple; “If mental health can bring somebody as big and as strong as me to my knees, then it can bring anybody to the knees.”
A final thought
Fury is a fighter, a father, a husband, and a believer in the Christian faith. His success has come at a cost, but has also opened his eyes and his heart to his spiritual side. On Tyson Fury’s Instagram page he simply proclaims himself as: “God’s Fighting Army, Blessed by Jesus”. That might be the best summary of him yet.
For all his triumphs and troubles, accolades and claims, the one thing we can be sure of is that Tyson is most definitely a fighter… and a blessed one at that.
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