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      Newcastle hires Mr Fix-It to help star players with daily chores such as paying bills

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      NEWCASTLE United has taken on a Mr Fix-It to help its star players with daily chores — such as paying their TV licences.The Saudi-owned club appointed Jamie Morren as a liaison officer.
      Newcastle appointed Jamie Morren, pictured on the right, as a liaison officer to help its star players with choresCredit: NUFC.TV
      He is helping big-bucks signings, such as Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes and Dutchman Sven Botman, settle in on Tyneside.
      His job is to take care of tasks such as paying bills and setting up direct debits so they can concentrate on playing.
      The lifelong United fan said: “The whole point of my job is to take away any kind of distraction for the players so that football is the only focus.
      “It could be things like setting up direct debits, paying bills, finding houses, cars, transport.
      READ MORE ON NEWCASTLE UNITED
      “Imagine you’re 22, you’re moving to a country you’ve never been to before and someone says, ‘By the way, have you paid your TV licence?’
      “In the summer, it took a good 10 minutes of convincing Sven that TV licences were a real thing.
      “If I moved to Brazil at 24 years old, for example, I wouldn’t know how to set up a direct debit or pay council tax or whatever.
      “I think some people look at it and think, ‘you’ll just do everything for them’, but it’s a case of making sure they’re adjusted so they don’t have worries of ‘I don’t understand what this means’ or ‘what on earth is a TV Licence’ and making sure they’re completely comfortable and settled in that sense.
      Most read in The Sun
      “They’re moving to a new environment, a new country, often with no family with them, and they’re having to learn all of these new things on top of perhaps learning a new language.
      “It’s not just about ‘my boiler’s gone off, can you show me how to get it back on?’ It is about making sure you’re there if a player does have an issue.
      Read More on The Sun
      “We’re a family, and player care is part of that.”
      And the mollycoddling seems to be working — with the Magpies fourth in the Premier League. More

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      Wayne Rooney’s head was cut open on night out by flying plate thrown by his youngest son

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      WAYNE Rooney’s head was cut open on a night out by a flying plate thrown by his youngest son.Cass, four, launched it like a frisbee and accidentally hit his dad as the former footie ace enjoyed a boozy meal at a restaurant.
      Wayne Rooney suffered a cut on his forehead during a boozy night out with pals in Dubai
      Wayne was hit by a plate thrown by his youngest son
      Cass, pictured left, launched it like a frisbee and accidentally hit his dad
      We reported his wound last week and Cass has been revealed as the culprit — after he got over-excited during traditional Greek plate smashing.
      A witness said: “Wayne took it very well. His poor lad was very sorry.”
      Wayne, 37, wife Coleen, 36, and pals were partying on holiday in Dubai when Cass scored his direct hit.
      But the England and Man Utd legend laughed it off despite his gashed forehead.
      READ MORE ON WAYNE ROONEY
      The couple were with kids Kai, 12, Klay, nine, Kit, six, and Cass plus pals including ex-Red Devils team-mate Phil Bardsley and his wife Tanya, who shared footage online.
      It included Coleen balancing a plate and shot glass on her head as a waiter poured at the restaurant, where ex-boxing champ Amir Khan was also eating and posed for a picture.
      The onlooker said: “The group were having a whale of a time and the drinks were flowing.
      “At one point, guests are invited to smash plates on the floor.
      Most read in The Sun
      “It is always a highlight and the crowd are usually well inebriated at this point.
      “It was no different this time and, amid the chaos, the youngest Rooney kid threw a plate across the table frisbee-style and caught him right between the eyes.
      Coleen Rooney was also seen smashing plates and enjoying herself at the restaurant
      Ex-boxing champ Amir Khan was also eating and posed for a picture with Wayne at the restaurant
      “There was no malice but it caught Wayne smack in the middle of his forehead.”
      Roo was seen using a napkin to dab the blood in footage taken seconds after he was hit.
      Read More on The Sun
      The witness added: “It must have hurt like hell but it was a complete accident. He didn’t want little Cass to see his upset, and they had a cuddle.
      “As soon as it emerged he wasn’t seriously hurt, the entire table exploded in laughter.” More

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      I was beaten unconscious by Iranian government henchmen for listening to music – Fifa must kick my country out World Cup

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      AN IRANIAN schoolgirl beaten unconscious by government henchmen for listening to music has urged Fifa to kick her country out of the World Cup.Mahnaz, 17, was walking home with two friends when the brutes from the Basij morals militia began interrogating them.
      Fifa has been urged to kick Iran out of the World Cup after a teen girl was beaten by government henchmenCredit: AFP
      Iranian Mahsa Amini, 22, died in custody following her arrest for not wearing her hijab correctlyCredit: Newsflash
      When Mahnaz — whose true ID we are concealing — questioned why they were stopped, one responded by punching her in the head, knocking her out.
      She has written about her ordeal for thesun.co.uk — and wants Fifa to act ahead of Iran’s cup opener against England in less than three weeks.
      Mahnaz said: “Ever since it happened I jump up in horror when someone rings our doorbell.
      “I am convinced that every siren I hear on the streets is meant for me or my family. This is normal life in Iran now but I don’t think the rest of the world realises how bad it has become.
      READ MORE ON IRAN
      “Hopefully, the attention of the World Cup will change that.
      “People love football here and have a huge pride in the national team.
      “But the protests have changed everything. People now feel the team represents not the nation of Iran but the regime and all of its aggression.”
      Mahnaz also demanded action over Iran’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The country has supplied kamikaze drones and deployed experts.
      Most read in The Sun
      She said: “How can Fifa support that?”
      At least 270 people have been killed and 14,000 arrested in the Iranian regime’s crackdown on protests.
      Read More on The Sun
      The uprising began when student Mahsa Amini, 22, died in custody following her arrest for not wearing her hijab correctly.
      Fifa declined to comment.
      Mahnaz’s plea
      WHEN I was younger I loved my life in Iran playing with my friends and going to school.
      I thought the life we had here was the same as for every other young girl in the world – but now I know different.
      Two weeks ago, I was walking home from school with two friends.
      We were gossiping about things at school and listening to music, just like teenage girls everywhere.
      But what happened next doesn’t happen in most other places.
      Three men in Basij uniforms stopped us and began asking us questions about the music and what we had in our bags.
      They pushed us and were very aggressive so I asked: “Who are you?”
      The answer came instantly – a fist to my eye.
      I fell to the ground in agony and then everything went black.
      The next thing I knew was when I was back at home. When I woke I couldn’t see very well and the light sent strokes of pain through my eyes into my head.
      My family was afraid to call a doctor so we contacted a nurse who lives in our block.
      It might sound crazy but my family was terrified that being hit by the Basij would be considered a sign of guilt.
      Ever since it happened I jump up in horror when someone rings our doorbell, terrified it is the Basij again.
      I am convinced that every siren I hear on the streets is meant for me or my family.
      I don’t know what I have done wrong, so I don’t know what they will punish me for.
      It wasn’t as if we were not wearing the hijab correctly, like some of the brave women in the recent protests.
      We were just walking home from school listening to music.
      I never thought this could happen here. My three brothers have a good business, my father is a well-respected war veteran and my mother educated many children as a school teacher.
      We are a good family and have never done anything wrong.
      But since the protests in Tehran everything changed and the Basij now roam the streets looking for people to challenge to enforce their rules – even teenage girls.
      This is normal life in Iran now, but I don’t think the rest of the world realises how bad it has become.
      Hopefully the attention of the World Cup will change that.
      People love football here and have a huge pride in the national team.
      We all celebrated when the team qualified for Qatar and we were really hoping they would do well – we even thought they might beat England!
      But the protests have changed everything. People now feel the team represents not the nation of Iran, but the regime and all of its aggression against its own people.
      How can we support the national team when the Basij are attacking people like me on the street on for no reason?
      And how can Fifa allow a country that acts like Iran to compete in the World Cup?
      Russia was banned for invading Ukraine but our government is now helping Russia fight in Ukraine.
      How can Fifa support that – and how can the rest of the world let it happen?
      Fifa must take a stand and ban Iran from the World Cup.
      But however bad it feels for us at the moment, there is still hope.
      As the regime tries to force the population to live in a certain way the weakest link naturally suffers the most.
      In Iran, the regime considers that women are the weakest link – but they are wrong.
      In an Iranian household, the mother calls the shots.
      It is from our mothers that we get our strength and determination – and our hope that one day change will happen in Iran.
      We have no idea when that change will come – but it will happen eventually, of that we are certain.
      And when it does girls will be able to listen to music on their way home from school once more – and we will all support our team at the World Cup again. More

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      Reece James racist troll tracked down in Middle East just three weeks before World Cup in Qatar

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      A RACIST troll who abused England ace Reece James has been tracked down to the Middle East just three weeks before the World Cup starts in Qatar.An arrest is imminent after the Chelsea defender, 22, gave statements to Instagram, police and officials abroad.
      A racist troll who abused England ace Reece James has been tracked down to the Middle EastCredit: Simon Jones
      An arrest is imminent after Chelsea ace Reece gave statements to Instagram, police and officials abroadCredit: Simon Jones
      Reece told The Sun:’ I get (racist) messages here and there, but I’ve never really had it face to face’Credit: Getty
      Reece told The Sun: “It’s tough.”
      Trolling victim Reece has told how he is determined to fight back against the online menace saying: “Whenever I see it I report it.”
      The England ace spoke out as the net was closing on a racist tormentor who targeted him.
      The vile troll has been tracked down to the Middle East — just three weeks before the World Cup in Qatar.
      Read More on Reece James
      An arrest is imminent.
      Chelsea star Reece told The Sun: “I get (racist) messages here and there, but I’ve never really had it face to face.
      “It’s always the way (that trolls hide behind the keyboard); whenever I see it I report it.
      “It’s one of those things that is hard to control. Most of the time they are fake accounts.”
      Most read in The Sun
      He reported a chain of racist abuse from a mysterious account.
      Starting in February of last year, Reece gave statements to Instagram, the Met Police and officials abroad — and now the culprit is finally on the verge of being nicked.
      Reece admitted: “It’s tough, when you have to take so much time on interviews and statements, and then it doesn’t lead to anything.
      “I had this one last season, monkey emojis and stuff.
      “Before I didn’t really open my messages, but one day I managed to see it, and reported it.”
      After posting a photo of him training, a man — using an account name of mhmd.awada — also wrote: “How can you f live with dirty black skin?”, plus other vile racist slurs.
      He followed this up with several monkey emojis and vomiting faces.
      Reece reported the abuse to Instagram and alerted support staff at Chelsea.
      Chain of racist abuse
      The club acted decisively, and in an unprecedented move, then owner Roman Abramovich wrote to every player telling them he was “appalled” at the abuse suffered by their talented right-back.
      The billionaire tycoon pledged to provide additional funding for the club’s anti-racism efforts.
      As a result, the Met Police’s ­specialist football unit began investigating and located the account.
      They have since been liaising with cops in the Middle East.
      Last night a source said: “There’s been a lot of conversation between police from both regions — everyone has been taking this case seriously.
      “It’s vital players feel supported and listened to, and know that all efforts are being made to clamp down on racism within the game.
      “Of course, there are fears that this account — and others like it — are linked to a racist group in Qatar, a country which has been found to have a poor track record for racist abuse against non-nationals.
      “We’ve already seen England players being horrifically racially abused after the Euro 2020 final — the last thing anyone needs is a repeat.”
      I think everyone has an equal right to play, no matter your sex, skin colour, or anything like that.Reece James
      Last September the Met confirmed it had recruited a specialist officer to focus on hate crime in football.
      In April of last year the world of football came together to initiate a boycott of social media in a protest against online racism.
      Reece — who still hopes to make it to the World Cup despite being on crutches as a result of a knee injury — believes education, or a lack of it, is the root cause of racism.
      At the Chelsea’s training ground in Cobham, Surrey, he said: “I think everyone has an equal right to play, no matter your sex, skin colour, or anything like that.”
      He waded in on the decision to award the World Cup to Qatar — a country renowned for human rights abuses and strict anti-gay laws.
      Reece said: “I think most of the countries I know that are participating are trying to stand up for human rights there, and help people that can’t be themselves. I think everyone is working together to raise awareness and trying to show people that they can be who they are.”
      This month it was announced that England captain Harry Kane plans to wear a “OneLove” rainbow armband during the tournament in support of the LGBT community.
      Two years ago, the United Nations raised “serious concerns of structural racial discrimination against non- nationals” in Qatar.
      ‘Mysterious account’
      The report revealed that low-wage workers suffered severe discrimination and exploitation — almost ten years after global football’s governing body Fifa controversially awarded the World Cup to the Arab nation.
      The report claimed there was a “de facto caste system based on national origin,” in Qatar.
      It suggested that “European, North American, Australian and Arab nationalities systematically enjoy greater human rights protections than South Asian and sub-Saharan African nationalities”.
      Read More on The Sun
      Reece, whose sister is England Lioness and Chelsea player Lauren, believes the time is right for a top-flight player to come out as gay.
      He added: “I don’t see why it hasn’t happened yet, In the women’s game it’s quite open and there’s a lot of relationships.”
      Reece, pictured with Marcus Rashford, said: ‘It’s always the way (that trolls hide behind the keyboard); whenever I see it I report it’Credit: AP
      Reece added: ‘It’s one of those things that is hard to control. Most of the time they are fake accounts’Credit: Simon Jones More

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      Spurs bosses looking for lackey to help stars like Harry Kane pay their bills

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      SPURS bosses are looking for a lackey to help stars like Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris pay their gas bills.And the employee will assist their wives and girlfriends in navigating the stadium car park on match days.
      Tottenham Hotspur are advertising for a ‘player care officer’ to help footballer pay their billsCredit: Rex
      The applicant is asked to speak French like star goalkeeper Hugo LlorisCredit: Getty
      The Premier League giants want a player care officer to help the pampered stars buy or rent cars, source houses, and even set up bank accounts and manage their utility and mortgage bills.
      An ad for the post reveals: “Assist players with managing aspects of their personal life such as payment & management of utility bills, mortgage payments, travel documents, banking.
      “Support in organising vehicle rental or purchases, when required. Attend home fixtures to assist in the Player Family and Guest Lounge, assist in movements to and from car parks, conduct player escort, guest escort, and liaise with ticket office for player complimentary ticket issues and amendments
      “Manage injured player requests for matchdays. Support First Team Coaches with ad hoc requests relating to assistance with utility bills, signposting to rental or leasing companies for housing, cars and other matters.”
      READ MORE TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
      The worker should speak a foreign language like French or Spanish and the “position will involve working irregular hours including evenings, weekends, and bank holidays, so a flexible candidate is sought”.
      And the ad continues: “Liaise with players’ families and help to acclimatise to transfers and relocations, including arranging tours, property visits, airport collections, overnight stays if required.”
      The successful candidate will be someone who “gets things done, delivers to highest of standards, takes responsibility” and has a “respect for player confidentiality”, plus being “empathetic and compassionate”.
      Most read in The Sun More

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      Gay former England footballer planning to come out blasts Qatar for being World Cup host

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      A GAY former England footballer planning to come out has blasted the decision to let Qatar host the World Cup.The ex-Premier League ace is considering openly discussing his sexuality on TV.
      As well as anti-homosexuality laws, Qatar has also been blasted over the deaths of migrant workers building football stadiumsCredit: Reuters
      And he believes the Gulf state’s anti-homosexuality laws should have prevented Fifa from staging the tournament there.
      A source said: “He thinks it was wrong to decide the tournament should be played in Qatar when they criminalise gay sexual relationships.
      “Obviously England will be taking part but he doesn’t blame them.
      He’s heartened to see the current squad of players will support the LGBTQ movement and captain Harry Kane will wear the OneLove rainbow armband.
      READ MORE ON WORLD CUP
      “He’s hoping there will be many acts of protest against Qatar’s stance on homosexuality.”
      The decision to host the showpiece, kicking off next month, in the strict Muslim country has sparked fury from LGBTQ campaigners over its appalling human rights record.
      Qatar has also been blasted over the deaths of migrant workers building football stadiums.
      Earlier this month, Gary Lineker said he knew of two gay Premier League footballers and commented it would send a strong message to Qatar if they came out during the tournament.
      Most read in The Sun
      The ex-England striker turned TV presenter added: “I know for a fact that some have been very close and contemplated it.”
      Last week, campaigner Peter Tatchell, 70, said he was “arrested and detained on the kerbside” while staging a protest in Qatar’s capital Doha, although the state’s government denied it.
      Read More on The Sun More

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      Boxing can be a tough sport – but I just find it hard to walk away, reveals Tyson Fury

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      MY boxing life has been made up of two careers.The first took place between 2008 and 2015, a period in which I was unable to recognise the psychological demons dragging me down.
      Walking away from boxing is the hardest thing I have ever tried to do, says Tyson FuryCredit: instagram
      The boxer’s new autobiography Gloves Off, is out on November 10
      Tyson Fury says boxing will have a void of charisma when he finally hangs up his glovesCredit: Reuters
      They pulled on me like a rucksack full of stones, despite the fact I was on my way to becoming the heavyweight champion of the world.
      The second career kicked off in 2018 after a brutal battle with my mental health, a war I’m still locked into today.
      Through sheer will I was able to overcome my issues and return as the planet’s most entertaining pugilist.
      But then I started to think I should leave the stage while still at the peak of my powers.
      READ MORE TYSON FURY
      While I’ve long been admiral of HMS I Don’t Give A Crap, the most entertaining showman since the days of Muhammad Ali and the greatest fighter of my generation, it’s important to know that, as far as I’m concerned, boxing has always been a business with a shelf life.
      Statistically the people that stay in the game for too long have a tendency to get damaged, really damaged, and I don’t want that happening to me.
      There’s also a risk that my career has been shortened by the way in which I’ve lived my life.
      Health and nutrition was not exactly a priority for large chunks of my time as a pro: I ballooned in weight between bouts and then, during the mental health breakdown that started in 2015, I boozed, binged and tried cocaine.
      Most read in The Sun
      There was even an attempt at ending it all a year later when I pointed my Ferrari at a bridge and slammed on the accelerator, though I changed my mind at the last second and pulled ­away — thank God.
      When I eventually asked for help I was diagnosed as bipolar, paranoid and suffering from anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
      I later recovered, but my mental health issues remain a constant work in progress — from time to time I can have suicidal thoughts, though I now understand what’s needed to keep my demons at arm’s length.
      So while getting my face punched in for a living has put millions of pounds in the bank, a fighter needs to know when their time is ­up — and mine is near.
      Walking away from boxing may be the hardest thing I ever do.
      All I know is that I don’t want to overstay my welcome, ruin my legacy, or die from a big right to the side of the head.
      And believe me, an ending like that has felt worryingly real at times.
      I even experienced short-­term memory loss following that bruising encounter with Wilder in 2021, when, in the hours after the win, my head covered in tennis ball-­sized lumps, it was impossible to remember how many times I’d gone down.
      Everything was foggy, and the experience frightened me.
      No way do I want to end up living out my days in a wheelchair, or eating my dinners through a straw.
      I wanted to leave boxing at the peak of my powers, but have been tempted back, says Tyson FuryCredit: EPA
      Tyson Fury fully intended to quit boxing for good after beating Deontay Wilder in 2021Credit: Rex
      After that fight with Wilder, I told my promoter Frank Warren that I planned to retire.
      But then…Bang! he approached me with the opportunity to fight at Wembley Stadium in April 2022.
      Wembley was a showcase venue, an opportunity to bow out in style.
      And after the hardship and pain of the coronavirus pandemic, I felt I owed it to the fans.
      Boxing deserved a hell of a party, and with my triumph over Dillian Whyte, I gave them a showdown for the history books.
      I told the world it would take half a billion to drag me back into the ring.
      At one point, I was so confident that nobody was going to cough up the cash that I threw down a bet with Piers Morgan on live TV.
      He said, ‘How about if you do fight again, you have to give me a million pounds?’ Piers couldn’t believe his luck when I agreed, though I also knew that if there was a £500million fight on the cards, I wasn’t going to feel that sad about giving him a million of it. (Though he’ll get it in pound coins and fivers.)
      The other fight I’ve been interested in is a showdown to stop the nation in its tracks.
      Tyson says his battle with mental health is a never ending fightCredit: PA
      A match with Anthony Joshua would fall into this category, and in September 2022, I even offered to battle him in the UK with a 60-40 split in earnings.
      I wanted it to be a moment in sporting history, a fight for Britain.
      But so far we haven’t been able to make it happen.
      Now I’m due to fight Derek Chisora on December 3 — having already beaten him twice.
      Chisora and I used to be pals but when it came to my Wembley showdown against Dillian Whyte, Chisora tipped the other bloke to knock me out.
      I couldn’t get my head around that. How can you claim to be someone’s friend and then back another fighter to send him to the canvas?
      I really had no idea what was eating him at the time. Perhaps it was jealousy.
      I have a potential meeting with Oleksandr Usyk next year. I don’t rate his chances against me either.
      Sure, Usyk has beaten AJ twice now, but he’s hardly a killer.
      When I do finally retire, there’s bound to be a void in boxing, in the same way athletics got boring once Usain Bolt had disappeared from the scene — there’s no one around with the same charisma.
      With that in mind, staying on the stage is bloody tempting.
      You might be wondering, ‘Well, hang on, what about those risks you were talking about earlier — the ones that made you consider retirement in the first place?’ And sure, a purse is worthless if you die or get seriously injured in the process, but the thing is, I don’t plan on doing either of those things. I plan on winning.

      ADAPTED from Gloves Off by Tyson Fury, published by Century on November 10 in hardback and audiobook.

      MY PAL ROBBIE
      TYSON says he’s not impressed by celebrity but has bonded with stars like Robbie Williams — after he recorded a song on the singer’s Christmas album.
      Fury said: “Robbie’s a top bloke and we had plenty in common.
      Tyson says he has forged a bond with singer Robbie WilliamsCredit: instagram
      “Robbie and me are both people that have hit the top, having worked hard for something all our lives — him: pop stardom; me: the world heavyweight championship — only for the realities of our success to become massively destructive and very different to what we’d expected at the beginning.”
      Read More on The Sun
      Tyson said another “genuine” person was singer Ed Sheeran, who he met after a gig.
      He said: “We are both very similar in character. Ed is grounded.” More

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      I held my baby for first time, then midwife plucked her from me – her fight inspired me to win mine, says Tyson Fury

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      TYSON Fury has revealed for the first time how the near-death of his baby daughter sparked his greatest win in the ring.Athena was born prematurely last year — just weeks before the Gypsy King’s epic 11th-round KO of Deontay Wilder.
      Tyson Fury says his daughter Athena’s fight for health inspired his boxing success
      Wilder punches Fury during the WBC Heavyweight Championship in 2018Credit: Getty
      The Gypsy King and wife Paris never gave up on daughter AthenaCredit: Richard Dash for GoPr
      Here, in exclusive extracts from his new book Gloves Off, Tyson reveals the incredible tale…
      I am The Gypsy King — a bona fide legend and a once-in-a-lifetime superhero.
      But boxing isn’t my entire world. The reality is I’m a husband, a dad, a son, a brother, an uncle.
      My family are my armour and Paris and my six beautiful kids are always in my thoughts because they’re so precious to me.
      READ MORE ON TYSON FURY
      On the eve of my 2021 fight with Deontay Wilder I slept on a hospital floor as our youngest child, Athena, fought for her life shortly after being born.
      I had a split draw with Wilder in 2018 and beat him in 2020.
      I hoped that my rematch against him in 2021 would be a Hollywood-style ending to my dark days of depression.
      But then Athena was born prematurely at the beginning of August 2021 in the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, just two months before the fight.
      Most read in The Sun
      At first everything went well with the birth. I held my new daughter for the first time, and everything was perfect.
      There had been no signs of anything being wrong during the pregnancy.
      Then the midwife plucked her out of my arms and within minutes everything was kicking off.
      Apparently her heart was beating too quickly, and at first I didn’t think anything of it.
      Then everybody around us seemed to be panicking.
      My baby’s life was hanging in the balance and my name and what I did for a living wasn’t going to change a thing.Tyson Fury
      Athena was hooked up to a machine, doctors were pushing buttons and taking readings and her heart rate had rocketed to 300 beats per minute, when it should have been closer to 120bpm, and there was nothing the nurses could do to fix the problem.
      They injected her with something that seemed to slow everything down, to around 140bpm, but then she spiked all the way up again.
      The consequences were terrifying.
      If Athena’s heart rate couldn’t be steadied she would probably die from a cardiac arrest.
      Watching the medical staff rushing around her and Paris was horrible, though I knew they were both in safe hands.
      After being born, I’d died and been resuscitated three times – the NHS had kept me going well enough.
      Still, that did little to ease the sense of total helplessness I was experiencing.
      I saw nurses sedating Athena; someone was putting a tube down her throat to assist her breathing; and while everybody seemed to be acting calmly amid the chaos, there is nothing a parent can do in a situation like that, other than to watch and pray.
      I’d been reduced to nothing.
      My baby’s life was hanging in the balance and my name and what I did for a living wasn’t going to change a thing.
      ‘TERRIFYING’
      In the end, it was decided that Athena should be blue- lighted to the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, and once there, her heart rate was stabilised.
      It was so hard to see her on an incubator, with several tubes and wires coming out of her body.
      She looked so tiny and vulnerable, and even though her situation had improved, the doctors were warning us we weren’t yet out of the woods.
      Athena’s heart rate was still all over the place, and at any given moment she might die.
      As Paris recovered and Athena started her battle, I bedded down in the Ronald McDonald House, an accommodation for parents attached to the hospital.
      Nothing could dissuade me: I was crashing there until Athena had stabilised. But every day my head span.
      Though it was the last thing on my mind, at some point, I was going to have to think about the upcoming fight with Deontay Wilder.
      If it was to go ahead, my preparation would have to happen at breakneck speed.
      Athena was in ICU weeks before the showdown with Deontay WilderCredit: Instagram
      Little Athena was fighting for her life while Tyson was trying to prepare for his title bout
      The boxer’s new autobiography Gloves Off, is out on November 10
      Once my schedule was pieced together, I estimated I had around four weeks to get into fighting form. It wasn’t long, but I could still make it.
      At the Alder Hey Hospital the doctors were giving Athena ­life-saving treatment.
      The good news was that she’d been taken off the incubator and there were some signs of improvement, so whenever Paris and Athena were resting, I went to work.
      To tackle Wilder, I needed to make the most of every opportunity, and a day or so after the birth, I started a jog around the hospital with Dad.
      I wasn’t in the best of shape at the time because I’d been struggling to eat well, what with being in and out of Alder Hey.
      I’d also not long recovered from Covid and my lungs felt like two sheets of sandpaper whenever I put in a shift.
      Puffing a little, I’d probably only done around three miles when my phone started ringing. It was Paris. She was hysterical.
      ‘The baby’s died,’ she screamed. ‘The baby’s dead. She’s dead. She’s dead . . .’
      I sprinted to the ward as fast as I could, fearing the worst.
      My chest burned, my legs were in agony, and as I ran I tried my best to console Paris.
      ‘It’s going to be alright,’ I panted down the phone. ‘Let the doctors do their job. Don’t worry . . .’
      It hurt me to see her in the cot, attached to a bleeping machine. Tyson Fury
      When I made it to her bedside, there seemed to be a hundred medics crowding around Athena.
      Apparently, she’d become completely unresponsive while Paris was holding her, then her heartbeat had faded away to nothing.
      Athena was resuscitated, but Paris was now losing it.
      A nurse was trying to calm her as the specialist staff went to work. I couldn’t believe what was happening.
      Eventually, to our enormous relief, and with the grace of God the doctors were able to steady Athena.
      We were told she would have to remain in hospital until she’d made a full recovery.
      In the end it would take three weeks before she was allowed home and for much of the time I slept at the Ronald McDonald House, or on the floor of the hospital ward, feeling exhausted, praying for her to pull through safely, knowing that some parents never got to take their babies home.
      It hurt me to see her in the cot, attached to a bleeping machine.
      A lot of the time Paris and me would sit there, staring at our baby.
      Keeping the worrying news from the kids was a tough job too.
      All of them were excited to meet their new sister – Venezuela, Prince John James, Prince Tyson Fury II, Valencia Amber and Prince Adonis Amaziah. We didn’t want to tell them that Athena had nearly died because we didn’t want to worry them.
      After what felt like an age, Athena had recovered enough for us to leave hospital at the end of ­August.
      I immediately went back to work, even though I probably could have postponed the fight.
      It’s not as if I didn’t have a good reason for requesting a delay.
      Sleeping rough on the floor of a hospital wasn’t the best way to prepare for anything, let alone a world heavyweight title bout against a man who was talking up my murder.
      But what was the point in looking for excuses? It was now or never. I’d had a tough time for sure, but not as tough a time as Athena – and she’d shown the strength and willpower to fight her way back to life.
      I would turn her battle into fuel.
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      And I did. I beat Wilder with an eleventh round knockout – in one of the most epic fights of all time.
      It was Athena’s successful battle which inspired me to win mine.”

      Adapted from GLOVES OFF by Tyson Fury, published by Century on 10th November in hardback and audiobook.

      Tyson Fury v Derek Chisora for WBC & lineal Heavyweight Championship of the World will be broadcast exclusively on BT Sport Box Office. Tickets for the event at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Dec 3 are available now at ticketmaster.co.uk

      Tyson Fury and his family
      Fury recording his debut single – the Neil Diamond classic Sweet CarolineCredit: PA
      The couple with their six children More