TOMMY FURY has vowed to ditch the ‘Tyson’s brother’ tag and make it on his own as a title-winning champion.
The unbeaten light-heavyweight was born into the sport thanks to dad John, an ex-pro fighter and bare-knuckle boxer.
Tyson, 32, has led the way in the Fury family, twice reigning as heavyweight champ and currently holding the WBC belt.
But Tommy, 21, insisted for all the noise and attention that has come in the public due to his surname, he is the one putting in the real work privately.
He told Sky Sports: “I’m not trying to get any freebies. I hear people say: ‘He’s only there because of his brother’.
“That has its pros and cons but nobody can fight for me. Boxing is the hardest job in the world and it’s only me who gets through those ropes.
“It’s only me who wakes up at 5am for a run when it’s raining or snowing.
“As much as Tyson has opened doors, it’s only me that can fight. That’s what people don’t understand – how hard this job is.
“I’m not following in anybody’s footsteps. There’s only one Tyson, only one my dad. I’m not here to try to equal anything that anybody else has done.”
Tommy debuted in 2018 to much fanfare due to his brother and cousin Hughie, a current heavyweight contender.
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But he gained wider recognition a year later when he featured in ITV’s hit reality TV show Love Island.
He eventually came runner up with current girlfriend Molly-Mae Hague and the couple have since become stars in their own right.
It has attracted even more eyeballs to the early stages of Tommy’s boxing career, with an equal amount of new fans and critics.
But the level-headed 5-0 fighter admitted the spotlight is nothing he hasn’t seen before, having been an attraction even during his amateur days.
Tommy said: “They don’t understand that I don’t feel that pressure because, as a 14-year-old kid, it was already there.
‘Look, it’s Tyson’s brother, let’s watch him spar!’ It’s nothing new to me for everybody to be judging and criticising me.
“If Trevor from four doors down doesn’t like me, it doesn’t change my life. Trevor can keep spouting whatever he wants about me!”
Tommy’s mainstream appeal from his time on TV, mixed in with his surname, is likely to afford him more chances than the average Joe.
But he still remembers the days of watching older brother Tyson rise through the ranks, while envisioning a similar career trajectory of his own.
Tommy revealed: “All of my memories are in a boxing gym. lived and breathed the sport since I was a child.
“I remember, in Warrington, the first time we properly trained together. He taught me and took me on the pads.
“When he trained I sat on a chair, watching. I knew that in 10 years it would be my turn and I could use all of these things that I saw to my advantage.
“I still think back to those days. Everything he did to prepare for his fights, I now do.”
Tommy extended his record in February, as he knocked out journeyman Scott Williams.
Dad and trainer John revealed his son is likely in line for a quick turnaround in April, where his every move will again be analysed.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
