TYSON FURY is just hours away from stepping into battle for a third time against Deontay Wilder.
And the Gypsy King’s journey to the trilogy blockbuster has been far from plain sailing.
Fury is the bookies favourite to make a successful defence of his WBC heavyweight title against the man he sensationally ripped the belt from.
In February 2020 the Morecambe mauler battered Wilder into a seventh-round stoppage – exacting revenge for the first-fight draw that many believed Fury should have won.
And so the two will go at it for a third time in Las Vegas.
Rival promoter Eddie Hearn, still smarting after his man Anthony Joshua lost all his belts to Oleksandr Usyk, believes Fury is ‘not ready’ for the fight.
And the 33-year-old’s preparation has indeed hasn’t been as smooth as it could have been.
Here, SunSport runs through just some of the issues that have played a part in Fury’s fight camp.
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Contracting coronavirus
Fury tested positive for coronavirus in July that put paid to the trilogy taking place that month.
A new date of October 9 was agreed – but Wilder seems to think Team Fury ‘lied’ about the Gypsy King getting the virus.
He told the PBC Podcast: “They’re trying to run away from it, I’m running to it. I don’t believe he had Covid.”
But Fury blasted the American, and says he contracted Covid-19 TWICE and was left feeling ‘weak’ and ‘terrible’.
He said: “I’ve had Covid twice. I had it once back in like 2020 and once a couple of months ago.
“The first time was a lot harder because I lost my sense of smell and taste, and I felt weak and I felt terrible. The second time, I didn’t feel that terrible.”
Bedside vigil for newborn
Tyson and Paris’ sixth child Athena was rushed straight to ICU after birth on August 8.
The worried parents were by their daughter’s side around the clock as she was treated in intensive care.
And to the Gypsy King’s delight, Athena was discharged and finally able to come home.
The boxing champion kept his fans updated on Athena’s progress throughout the worrying time on social media.
But the ordeal took its toll on the WBC heavyweight champion, who will return to the boxing ring for the first time in 20 months on October 9.
Speaking to ITV, he said: “[It] probably took a couple of years off my life, the amount of stress I was under.”
Separating from Steward
Fury linked up with the legendary SugarHill Steward before he battered Wilder in 2020.
But his training with the American has not ran as smoothly as he might have hoped.
The BBC reports that Steward was only able to join him two weeks before he was due to return to the States.
And it adds that ‘Fury’s camp has been severely disrupted in the build-up.
Chaotic press conference
The first press conference featuring the pair in June was a strange one – Fury tried his best to provoke Wilder but the American had the perfect way to keep out the noise.
The deposed champ sat there for the duration with his headphones on – even keeping them glued to his ears when the pair went face-to-face.
But the final presser ahead of the scrap was very different. Fury bounded around the stage with the microphone, while Wilder sat down and gave it back.
Chaos ensued when presenter Kate Abdo appeared to signal for the traditional ‘head-to-head’ – but Fury’s promoter Bob Arum went ballistic and called it off.
He says by doing so he ‘saved the fight’ – and then he proceeded to deliver a foul-mouthed tirade towards the 40-year-old British TV presenter.
ESPN’s Mike Coppinger was also given both barrels by Arum, the 89-year-old telling him to ‘shut the f*** up, p***k’.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
