THESE remarkable pictures show Tyson Fury’s rise from humble beginnings — to heavyweight champion of the world.
Just 15 years ago Fury proudly posed for the camera with wife Paris, 25, while he was having a £35,000 gypsy-style one-bedroom cabin built on the site of his father’s scrap yard.
The wooden building in Styal, Cheshire, was so small the 6ft 9in boxer had to stoop to get inside, while it was surrounded by caravans owned by other family members.
Then 22 he boasted an unbeaten record of just 12 professional fights.
But he already had his sights firmly set on the highest honours in boxing, saying: “It’s meant to be. My destiny.
“I want to become champion of the world.”
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At the time, he said the trappings of wealth held no interest for him
“To me,” he declared, “fighting and boxing is more prestigious than Bentleys and Rolls-Royces.
“Cars and things like that don’t impress me.”
Fast forward to 2024, Fury, who left school when he was 13, has enjoyed unbroken success inside the ropes, winning 34 fights and drawing once against Deontay Wilder.
And outside the ring, he has amassed an estimated £300million personal fortune.
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Moreover, should he overcome Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, 37, tomorrow in the undisputed heavyweight champion title fight in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, his bank balance will swell by at least another £80million, enough to buy his log cabin 2,300 times over.
The star, who holds the WBC belt, already enjoys a lifestyle he could only dream of while living in a log cabin and earning just a few thousand pounds a fight.
He lives with Paris and the couple’s seven children in a £1.7million mansion — which has “Gypsy King” emblazoned on the driveway — in Morecambe, Lancs.
He also owns a £6million holiday home in the Spanish resort of Marbella and another two mansions in US fight capital Las Vegas.
One of them is used to house his trainer when he is in fight camp.
Alongside his array of homes, the 35-year-old has developed a £2million collection of supercars.
It includes two Rolls-Royce Cullinans, which cost upwards of £500,000 each, a £150,000 Mercedes G-Wagon, a £50,000 classic Mini Cooper, a £150,000 Range Rover and a Ferrari.
The Gypsy King has also landed millions in lucrative sponsorship deals with companies including Italian fashion label Claudio Luigi and drinks brand Wow Hydrate.
For all of his fantastic wealth, viewers of last year’s hit Netflix series, At Home With The Furys, saw a mundane side to the boxer’s family life in Morecambe.
He was seen taking the bins out, going to the tip and a barber’s and drinking tea from a chippy.
On his 34th birthday, he opened everyday presents including pants, socks and a £5 T-shirt.
If Fury — 4/15 favourite with the bookies — wins the Usyk fight, he will become the first undisputed world heavyweight champion since 1999 and certain to rake in tens of millions more from sponsorship deals around the world.
His post-fight plans are simple, with Fury saying he was going to Saudi to “get paid, get laid and come back to Morecambe Bay”.
Expert analysis
TYSON FURY’S life inside and outside of the ring has been a rollercoaster worthy of the crazy Riyadh skyline.
It wasn’t too long ago he was overlooked by Team GB for the 2008 Olympics and failed to convince the Ireland team to let him in.
One of his earliest professional assignments was a bout at the Norfolk Showground, Alan Partridge would have probably turned a ticket down.
He was infamous for a sketch-show standard verbal volley against David Price where he made a mantra out of the term “you big stiff plumber from Liverpool”.
He even upercutted himself flush in the face once – it went viral when that tern was reserved for infections.
His physical and mental collapse after the magnificent dethroning of Wladimir Klitschko helped wash away a doping ban.
And he has sky rocketed since he rebuilt his life and career after ballooning to 29st and plummeting into addiction.
But now he stands on the cusp of utter boxing immortality and emulating only the finest big men in history.
It will be some turnaround.
And with 10 more fights still wanted by Saudi and a mega-money Anthony Joshua rivalry still to address, it might only just be getting started
Fury’s promoter Frank Warren, 72, was more eloquent about the sporting contest he faces.
He said: “These are two guys in their prime and very rarely in the past 30 or 40 years have heavyweights at their best fought each other.
“This is happening and it’s a tremendous fight.
“It’s going to be a major moment in sporting history, not boxing history, sporting history.”
Fury and Usyk are destined to fight again later this year before the Gypsy King can battle Anthony Joshua in an all-British superbout.
Warren said: “If Tyson comes through, of course we want to see the big fight between Fury and AJ.
“But I don’t think that will be the fight afterwards.
“I don’t think it will be because there is so much money involved for the loser of this fight — and the rematch.
“I don’t know what sort of step-aside money you’d give them to do that.
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“It would only happen if someone was out of action after this first fight — that would be a thing.
“But it will come around quickly, February.”
3% say I’d win fight
THREE percent of Brits think they could beat Tyson Fury, a poll found.
Of the confident punters, Leicester and Glasgow locals thought they had the best chances, with 6 per cent claiming they had what it takes to knock out the Gypsy King in the ring.
And 5 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds say they would make light work of the heavyweight.
In Paddy Power Bingo’s poll of 2,000, many also said they could take on Anthony Joshua.
Paddy Power’s Rachael Kane said: “Brits must’ve had a knock to the head if they think they could flatten Fury.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
