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    Tyson Fury breaks silence with classy response as Anthony Joshua links up with his old coach for Otto Wallin fight

    TYSON FURY gave a classy response when asked about Anthony Joshua linking up with his former coach Ben Davison. Davison shot to recognition as the man that brought Fury back to the ring after an absence amid a mental health battle.
    Tyson Fury and trainer Ben Davison in 2018Credit: PA
    Anthony Joshua is working with Davison for his next fightCredit: Getty
    But now he is working alongside Fury’s biggest rival in Joshua, something the Gypsy King surprisingly hailed.
    He said: “That’s a good match-up.
    “It’s a very good move. I think it’s good for AJ because he’s local. I think it’s a good move.”
    Joshua is usually trained by American mastermind Derrick James in Texas and has been for his last two bouts.
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    But James is currently in training camp with Ryan Garcia, who makes his return against Oscar Duarte next Saturday.
    Meanwhile, Joshua, 34 is stationing himself in the UK ahead of his next fight on December 23, against Otto Wallin, 32, in Saudi Arabia.
    As a result, he is temporarily working with Davison for the bout.
    Davison got Fury down from 30 STONE to challenge for the world title in a draw against Deontay Wilder in 2018.
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    Fury, 35, was unbeaten in his five bouts with Davison before he switched to Sugarhill Steward, with whom he has won all five of his fights.
    Davison, 27, now works with two-time featherweight champion Leigh Wood, 35, among a host of other top prospects.
    Coincidentally, his last fight with Fury was against Wallin which saw the Brit need 47 stitches despite winning on points.

    🥊ANTHONY JOSHUA VS OTTO WALLIN: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF THRILLING SAUDI CLASH🥊 More

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    Tramadol has spread like a disease in football – will moves to ban the highly addictive drug work?

    BEHIND Tramadol, that comfy sort of drug that eases pain and helps provide a good night’s sleep, lies a nasty little secret.It is addictive and may lead directly to a drastically spoiled life.
    Former Bury star Ryan Cresswell took legal drugs like Tramadol to ease pain and is now urging players facing similar problems to seek helpCredit: PA
    Painkiller Tramadol is a growing issue in football and rugbyCredit: AFP
    It has spread like a pox in football and rugby, sports in which pain is as common as a kick on the shin or an awkward fall.
    Paracetamol is a safer alternative but only dulls pain and is much less effective than Tramadol, which is an opioid and has many after-effects.
    Moves to ban it will be taken in the new year after the World Anti-Doping Agency ruled that from January 1, any sportsman or sportswoman faces a lengthy suspension if caught with the drug in their system.
    This might work but, then, possibly not.
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    It will be important that medical staff at clubs will be alerted to, first, the dangers of the drug and, second, the level of punishment facing takers.
    Difficulties in policing for addiction are clear and the benefits in aiding relaxation and sleep have proved attractive enough to tempt injured footballers beyond the medical profession.
    Immediate effects may include vomiting, vertigo, constipation and drowsiness but it is not passing effects that are the problem, although a sleepy centre-back is the last thing a team needs.
    A friend (not a footballer) who was prescribed Tramadol told me that after one dose he dreamed he was playing alongside Harry Kane and woke up shouting “pass it here, Harry”. Perhaps for a moment he thought he was a South Korean.
    Most read in Football
    Another story from a different friend. He had to hand off his wife in bed as she flailed at him, shouting angrily.
    He cowered on the edge of his bed for the rest of the night. But the serious problems arise with addiction.
    Once footballers find it impossible to resist taking the pills, then psychiatric symptoms occur.
    A number of players and retired players are now subject to hallucinations, panic attacks, paranoia and extreme anxiety.
    And acute withdrawal symptoms take up to seven days to disperse.
    Drugs in sport has a long history and the more sophisticated medicine and chemistry becomes, the harder such cheating is to stop, let alone control.
    In outward appearance, football has avoided the worst of the epidemic but Tramadol is a little different in that its use, often combined with paracetamol, to alleviate pain and even aid sleep is beneficial so that the Wada ban may not be wholly welcome.
    If you have developed a reliance or an addiction, stopping is a process where you’ll need help.Ryan Cresswell
    However, a doctor’s prescription will no longer be permissible, which for a lot of players will be bad news indeed.
    Ryan Cresswell, who made 250-plus appearances for clubs including Bury and Northampton, suffered with painkiller addiction throughout his career.
    He had a knee op at 17 but the cartilage went again nine years later and he took legal drugs, including Tramadol, to manage the pain.
    “It’s not normal to be taking eight or nine tablets a day and I realised I needed help,” he said.
    “My advice to players is to speak to someone. If you have developed a reliance or an addiction,  stopping is a process where you’ll need help.”
    The PFA have become involved. Dr Michael Bennett, director of player wellbeing,  urged players to use the PFA’s services if they think they may need support.
    “We know there are players in real difficulty with Tramadol usage,” he said, adding that there have been high-profile cases where addiction has contributed to huge problems in the lives of players. More

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    Burnley give star striker Lyle Foster time away from club to seek specialist help for mental health issues

    BURNLEY have given top scorer Lyle Foster time away from the club as he battles with mental health issues.The South African striker has been the Clarets’ shining light during a difficult start to life back in the Premier League.
    Lyle Foster is taking a break from Burnley to get professional support for his mental health issuesCredit: Getty
    But he has not featured since the 3-0 defeat at Brentford just after the international break – and his club have now released an update.
    Foster suffered from depression earlier in his career and is now receiving specialist help. 
    The statement from Burnley said: “Recently Lyle let us know that he continues to live with issues around his mental well-being and has reached out for help.
    “He is currently in the care of specialists – giving him the support and care he needs to get back to full health.
    READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
    “With the love and support of his family and everyone at Burnley FC we will do all we can to provide everything he needs to get better.
    “We ask for your understanding and respect Lyle’s privacy around this matter and will not be making any further comments.”
    The £9million forward revealed in the summer that he was suffering from depression in the months before he joined Burnley in January.
    He said at the time one of the Turf Moor coaches Craig Bellamy had been a huge influence in helping him to ‘see the light’.
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    FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS AND BONUSES NEW CUSTOMERS
    The absence of the three-goal forward is another big blow for boss Vincent Kompany – whose team are joint bottom of the table after taking just four points from their first 11 matches.
    Foster has scored three of the team’s eight league goals this term – making him the Clarets’ top scorer.
    With only a single win this season against newcomers Luton – the newly promoted side is struggling to find their form.
    But after suffering a 3-0 defeat to Everton it is not looking promising for Burnley who next face Arsenal on Saturday. More

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    Michael Schumacher’s health condition must be kept private – I never discuss it with his son, says F1 pal

    MICHAEL Schumacher’s pal has said his health condition must be kept private and that he never discusses it with Mick, the F1 legend’s son.The racing icon has not been seen in public since his ski accident in the French Alps in 2013, and little is known about his condition.
    Timo Glock (pictured), former F1 driver and friend of Michael Schumacher’s, has said his health must remain privateCredit: Getty
    F1 legend Schumacher has not been seen in public since his shocking 2013 ski accidentCredit: Alamy
    Mick Schumacher, who is in touch with Timo Glock, followed his father onto the race trackCredit: PA
    Speaking to LuckyBlock, former F1 driver Timo Glock discussed his relationship with the Schumacher family.
    He said: ”I keep in contact with Mick Schumacher as he and I get along well.
    “I’ve also known other members of his family for a very long time, but I try not to impose on their privacy.
    “I respect their right to be private, and I don’t discuss Michael’s condition with them.”
    READ MORE ON SCHUMACHER
    Seven-time world champion Schumacher suffered catastrophic injuries in the devastating accident.
    Schumacher’s wife, Corinna, has protected the privacy of her husband to such an extent that only their immediate family, and closest of friends know any details.
    Mick, 24, has followed his father’s footsteps onto the F1 track.
    Glock said: ”I think Michael would have supported his son, Mick, in his career and he would’ve shown him around those F1 tracks!
    Most read in Motorsport
    “He was, and still is, a great supporter of his children, and he’s still a great ambassador of the sport.”
    Glock, who told of the parties he and Schumacher used to throw, said they had “such good fun” together.
    ”I spent a lot of time off-track with Michael, and it didn’t matter what we did.
    ”Michael kept himself to himself on the track, and he didn’t open up too much. It was, however, the opposite away from the track.
    “He was very open, super friendly, and a really nice guy. People thought he wasn’t!”
    Schumacher’s friend fondly described him as his “hero”.
    ”Micheal Schumacher is the greatest driver ever as far as I’m concerned. He was my hero.
    “He was so influential as I was growing up.”
    One of the racing pro’s former teammates revealed he is “not close” to his former self following the horror accident in 2013.
    Speaking to Grosvenor Sport, ex-Sky Sports pundit Johnny Herbert, who used to be the German’s teammate, hinted that even his friends are kept in the dark.
    He said: “There’s never any news. What we do know is we never hear any positive news.
    “That’s the horrible thought that he is still not able to be close to the Michael that we all remember. And that is very sad.”
    Read More on The Sun
    And just weeks ago Michael Schumacher’s family lawyer finally revealed why the Formula One legend never released a report on his health after his accident. More

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    Michael Schumacher health update as stricken star’s lawyer explains ‘final report’ on F1 legend’s condition 10 years on

    MICHAEL Schumacher’s family lawyer has finally revealed why the Formula One legend never released a report on his health after his skiing accident.The racing champion sustained life-threatening injuries whilst skiing which left him in a medically induced coma in December 2013.
    The seven-time Formula One champion fell whilst skiing with his son in 2013Credit: Alamy
    His wife Corinna (right) has protected his privacy since he came out of a comaCredit: Alamy
    Although he woke up from that coma 250 days later, he underwent two operations to remove blood clots, and very little was said other than the fact that he faces a long road ahead.
    In the 10 years since the racing champion fell whilst skiing in Meribel, France, Schumacher has remained out of the public eye.
    Schumacher’s wife, Corinna, has protected the privacy of her husband to such an extent that only their immediate family, and closest of friends know any details.
    The Schumacher’s family lawyer, Felix Damm, has played a pivotal part in this.
    Schumacher
    Speaking to the German news outlet LTO, Damm explained that an official report was never released to the public to protect private matters.
    He said: “Of course, we discussed a lot about how this is possible. So we also considered whether a final report about Michael’s health could be the right way to do this.
    “But that wouldn’t have been the end of it and there would have had to be constantly updated ‘water level reports’. Because as those affected, it is not up to you to put an end to the media.
    “They could pick up on such a report again and again and ask, ‘And what does it look like now?’ one, two, three months or years after the message.
    Most read in Motorsport
    “And if we then wanted to take action against this reporting, we would have to deal with the argument of voluntary self-disclosure.”
    As Damm explains, no one can claim the privacy of a fact that they have themselves disclosed to the public.
    But, even if a friend, acquaintance, or family member discloses private information, this infringes on the private sphere.
    This, Damm takes care to clarify, is not a case of voluntary self disclosure, and so the affected person is still able to defend themselves.
    He maintains that his approach to the situation has strengthened the privacy protection of the Formula One legend and his family.
    And while he understands that the many Schumacher fans want to know how the star is doing, he believes that they should be able to handle the lack of report, and respect the family’s privacy.
    This comes after Formula One journalist, Roger Benoit, told Swiss newspaper Blick that Schumacher was “a case without hope.”
    Formula One legend and friend of Schumacher, Johnny Herbert, called the comment “horrible”, but did reveal that Schumacher was “not close” to his former self following his ski crash.
    He continued by saying his friends are often left in the dark about his health.
    Speaking to Grosvenor Sport, the ex-Sky Sports pundit said: “There’s never any news. What we do know is we never hear any positive news.
    “That’s the horrible thought that he is still not able to be close to the Michael that we all remember. And that is very sad.”
    He also reflected on how the star’s crash affected his younger brother, Raf Schumacher, and the honest character that Michael had always been.
    “Ralf has had to do a lot of things for and with the family given what happened to Michael.
    “He has matured. He is very different now to the person he was as a driver.
    “He is a good human being now. He has changed a lot having had to cope with the ongoing situation with his brother.”
    While Corinna used the Netflix documentary Schumacher to comment: “I mean, everybody misses Michael, but Michael is here.”
    “Different, but he’s here and that gives us strength, I find.
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    “We try to carry on a family as Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives.
    “‘Private is private’, as he always said. It is very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible.”
    Schumacher’s wife has said that a private family life was very important to the racing starCredit: Alamy More

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    Tyson Fury sends message of support to Alexander Volkanovski after UFC champ opens up on mental health battle

    TYSON FURY sent a message of support to Alexander Volkanovski after the UFC champion opened up on his mental health battle. Volkanovski revealed the struggles he went through while out of training camp following his rematch loss to Islam Makhachev.
    Tyson Fury supported Alexander Volkanovski after he opened up on his mental health battleCredit: Reuters
    Volkanovski after his rematch defeat to Islam MakhachevCredit: Getty
    Fury has been an advocate of mental health amid his own battle which saw him lose his world titles and balloon up to nearly 30 stone.
    But it inspired one of sport’s greatest ever comebacks after the Gypsy King returned to boxing to win the belts again.
    Now the heavyweight hero is encouraging others to speak out and hailed Volkanovski for his post-fight admission.
    Fury, 35, told The Mac Life: “I have been in that situation all year.
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    “I’ve not boxed since last year, early-December of 2022 and there was a lot of uncertainty [about] if I would even box again.
    “Out of the blue, all of this has come, and I’ve not got one fight but two fights lined up.
    “What I would say to Alexander is keep going. You know, he’s a very good professional athlete and you win some, you lose some.
    “Dust yourself off, get back in there and kick a***.”
    Most read in Boxing
    Volkanovski filled in for Charles Oliveira on just 11 days’ notice to rematch lightweight champ Makhachev in Abu Dhabi.
    Volkanovski, 35, had been beaten by Makhachev, 31, on points in his initial 155lb title challenge in February but beat Yair Rodriguez in July.
    And the Australian legend revealed the mental battle he had fought during the three months of not being in training camp.
    Volkanovski said: “It is hard. It really is hard for athletes.
    “I never thought I’d struggle with it but for some reason when I wasn’t fighting or in camp…”
    Volkanovski had to pause to gather his thoughts before adding: “F***, sorry. It (not being in camp) was just doing my head in.
    “So when this opportunity came up, I’ll be honest I wasn’t training as much as I should’ve, but I thought I had to do it.
    “Had to take it. I thought it would be… I was telling myself it was meant to be. I was doing my head in not fighting.
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    “Don’t know why. I’ve got a beautiful family. I think you just need to keep busy. So I ask the UFC to keep me busy.
    “I need to be in camp or I’m gunna do my head in. I’ll leave it at that.”
    How to get help
    NHS talking therapies can help if you’re struggling to cope with feelings of anxiety or depression. 
    Your GP can refer you or, in England, you can refer yourself online via nhs.uk/talk.
    If you need help for a mental health crisis, emergency or breakdown, NHS urgent mental health helplines offer 24-hour advice and support for people of all ages. 
    Find a local NHS urgent mental health helpline via nhs.uk/urgentmentalhealth (England only). 
    The charity Mind also provides support to those that need it. Call 0300 123 3393.
    If someone’s life is at risk or they cannot be kept safe, call 999. More

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    Chris Kamara reveals he contemplated suicide as he struggled with health battle in heartbreaking revelations

    CHRIS KAMARA says he contemplated suicide as he struggled in his health battle in a heartbreaking revelation.The former footy star, 65, went on to become one of the most-loved pundits on the box.
    Chris Kamara has made a heartbreaking revelation in his new bookCredit: Getty
    He achieved legendary status working alongside Jeff Stelling on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday for three decades.
    Kammy left his role on Sky Sports in 2022 after being diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, leaving him with a condition that affects his speech.
    Kamara explained how he felt like a “fraud” following his apraxia of speech diagnosis – and like someone else is controlling his voice.
    The ex-Swindon and Brentford midfielder has continued with some of his media work as the host of ITV’s Ninja Warrior UK and co-host of the BBC’s Proper Football podcast with Ben Shephard.
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    However, he has now revealed in his new book titled ‘Kammy’, which is being serialised in the Daily Mirror. how he had the darkest of thoughts at his lowest point and decided he did not want to be a burden on his wife Anne.
    Kamara wrote: “I’m going to admit something now, something I’ve never mentioned before. It’s hard for me to talk about, so bear with me.
    “I worried about where I was going to end up. Would my physical and neurological deterioration just keep going and going? And I worried more about the effect it would have on those around me.
    “I’m a man who has always wanted to help, to provide, to love and nurture those around me. And now I could only see myself as a burden. A shell of the man I used to be that they would be left to look after.
    Most read in FootballYou’re Not AloneEVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide.

    It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
    It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
    And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
    Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
    That is why The Sun launched the You’re Not Alone campaign.
    The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
    Let’s all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You’re Not Alone.
    If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:

    CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
    Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk
    Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
    Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
    Samaritans, www.samaritans.org, 116 123
    Movember, www.uk.movember.com
    Anxiety UK www.anxietyuk.org.uk, 03444 775 774 Monday-Friday 9.30am-10pm, Saturday/Sunday 10am-8pm

    “Seeing myself like that was like staring into an abyss. I could never reconcile that image in my head. It was unthinkable.
    “And it’s at that point I’d think, ‘They’d be better off without me.’”
    He admitted that Gary Speed’s tragic suicide in 2011 then came into his mind, saying: “I thought of Gary Speed and then I thought of my own position – a man in his mid-sixties, whose best days, because of a brain condition, were gone, struggling on while becoming a weight on all around him. Whose wife and children would be left to deal with whatever I became.
    “I didn’t want that for Anne and the boys. So how do you prevent it from happening? You take yourself out of the picture.
    “There were times when I definitely thought that was a way out. If you’re stuck in a maze, with no sign of an escape route, eventually you’ll try something extreme. Especially if you have chosen to wander that maze alone.”
    Gary Speed (bottom right, pictured with Kammy, top left) committed suicide in 2011Credit: Sky Sports
    Thankfully for everyone, Kamara opened up on his issues and he urged anyone else contemplating those dark thoughts to seek help.
    He adds that he began to realise that the “future was not so bleak” as he began to accept his illness.
    The football icon has appeared on TV to talk about his struggles and has admitted he has been left stunned at the support he has received.
    He also received a an MBE in 2022 for his anti-racism and charity work.
    Apraxia of speech is a condition which makes talking difficult, with sufferers knowing what they’d like to say, but having trouble communicating their words.
    The NHS says that the condition can be extremely frustrating for people.
    They explained: “Frequently the person with apraxia will have difficulties with conversational speech. However they may be good at ‘automatic’ speech tasks such as counting, swearing, repeating rhymes, greetings and farewell.
    Read More on The Sun
    “It’s usually caused by damage to the left side of the brain, such as a stroke.”
    “The condition does not affect a person’s understanding and the symptoms of the condition can vary occurring to the severity of the disorder.”
    Chris Kamara was diagnosed with apraxia and left Sky Sports Soccer Saturday in 2022Credit: GettyMAIN SYMPTOMS OF APRAXIAThe main symptoms of apraxia are…

    Being able to say a word correctly one minute and then not the next

    Difficulty at the beginning of words

    Greater difficulty with longer words

    Aware of mistakes but unable to correct them

    Speaking slowly

    Being better at ‘automatic tasks’ such as counting and singing. More

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    I gouged out a gypsy’s eye and have to avoid crowds because of my violent temper, reveals Tyson Fury’s dad

    SHOWING a Zen-like calm, Tyson Fury weighed in for another bone-crushing heavyweight contest – as his snarling dad John went berserk.It was 2018 in Belfast, and in the crowd the raging elder Fury had spotted Tyson’s future opponent — the then world champion Deontay Wilder — and a “red mist” descended.
    John Fury with son Tyson in the boxing ringCredit: Alamy
    John said: ‘On my gravestone I’d like them to put, ‘John Fury, a man of extremes’Credit: Alamy
    John celebrates victory with Tyson and team after the WBC World HeavyweightCredit: Getty
    In an exclusive interview, former bare-knuckle boxer John told me: “Wilder was cussing us and my switch flicked.
    “My mother used to say, ‘No matter who they are, son, stand your ground’. I don’t care if you’re the heavyweight champion of the world, you’re not going to put it on me and walk away.”
    Well-versed in hardcore violence — John was once jailed for gouging out a man’s eye — he had to be restrained by security guards.
    Tyson, who inherited his father’s fighting prowess, if not his fiery nature, “had a few quiet words” to calm him down.
    READ MORE ON TYSON FURY
    Now John has catalogued his eventful life in an autobiography, appropriately named When Fury Takes Over.
    Tyson — current WBC world heavyweight champion — has written the foreword, describing John as “our clan leader”.
    The book charts John’s life, from his birth in a “bow-top gypsy wagon” on an Irish roadside in Tuam, County Galway, to becoming a Netflix reality TV star.
    Speaking from Saudi Arabia — where Tyson is preparing for his fight on Saturday with Cameroonian Francis ­Ngannou — John said: “I wake up every morning now thinking it’s a dream. My childhood was very different to that of my kids’.
    Most read in Boxing
    “Growing up, it was a struggle to get the bare necessities like running water, electricity and a fixed abode.”
    One of four boys, John is the son of Irish traveller Hughie and English Romany gypsy Patience, known as Cissy, who roamed Britain in their caravan.
    John recalled: “Back then every pub you went to used to say, ‘No dogs and no travellers’.
    “People looking at you and being derogatory was how it was. You know, ‘The gypsies are in town, lock up your kids, lock up your ­belongings’.
    “But my family treated people with respect and we expected it back.
    “We were clean and tidy, we never abused people’s property.
    “But everyone was stigmatised as thieves and vagabonds.
    “Over the years we’ve had to ­integrate and learn the settled ­people’s ways.”
    According to John it was tough-as-nails Cissy — a “natural southpaw” (left-handed boxer) — who gave the family their boxing abilities.
    John didn’t get much regular schooling due to deep-rooted prejudice against travellers.
    In the same gravelly tones as Tyson, John, 59, told me: “If a gypsy went to school in the early Seventies, you weren’t going to learn anything because you got battered from pillar to post.
    “You were more worried about ­getting a good hiding than learning stuff, so we never bothered.
    Good hiding
    “My dad said, ‘Learn to get your living’. So we went out with my mother and father, working.”
    That meant hawking — selling — carpets door-to-door or surfacing roads.
    Dad-of-six John recalled: “I hawked at my first house when I was about seven years old.
    “If you opened the door to John Fury when he was a kid, I hope you had half an hour to spare.
    “‘No’ was often the answer but I had to talk them into saying ‘yes’ to help put food on our table.
    “Half the time they bought carpets off me just to get rid of me.”
    Very much his mother’s son, the young John was as adept with his fists as he was with the sales patter.
    He said: “Fighting has always been in our family — it’s our second nature.
    “I was big for my age and people my age wanted to fight me.
    “I would beat them up and then they’d go and get their big brother.
    “It was a free-for-all. You either damage me or I damage you. It was dog eat dog.
    “I probably got more hidings than anyone alive. It’s turned me into the person I am today.”
    John is the son of Irish traveller Hughie and English Romany gypsy Patience who roamed Britain in their caravanCredit: MacMillan
    When John was 15 he fought a dad in his thirties who had called him a “gyppo” after John brawled with his son.
    As the bearded man came towards him demanding a fight, John hit him “with a left and a right”.
    He recalled: “He went straight down and I kicked him full in the face with the instep of my hobnail boots.”
    Eventually John ended up in a ­Nottinghamshire borstal, which he likens to the grim 1979 film Scum, starring Ray Winstone.
    There he confronted two bullies, punching one “weasel” so hard “that his nose shattered”.
    Afraid his sentence would be increased, John jumped from a third-storey window to escape.
    On the run for three years, he met traveller Amber, who became his wife and had a son, John Boy, when John was just 18.
    Then he was arrested and sent to a young offenders’ unit to finish his sentence.
    In 1988 his son Tyson Luke Fury arrived three months premature, weighing just 1lb.
    John said: “I could hold him in the palm of my hand. He had to be a fighter to survive.”
    John and Amber had two other sons, Shane and Hughie. In 1997 daughter Ramona was born but died after just four days.
    When the couple split, John found love again with second wife Chantal and became a dad to two more boys, Roman, and boxer and Love Island star Tommy.
    John recalled: ‘Back then every pub you went to used to say, ‘No dogs and no travellers’Credit: PUBLISHER
    John with his father, mother and uncleCredit: MacMillan
    With cash short, John — a seasoned street fighter — decided to try boxing professionally.
    He entered a ­promoter’s gym for an audition wearing hobnail boots and jeans, and recalled: “They looked at me funny but it was all about money for me to feed my family.
    “Fighting professionally for a few hundred pounds on a Saturday night was easy money for me.
    “Meanwhile I was trading scrap metal, doing some roofing, tarmacking and still hawking carpets.”
    John was also carrying on a family tradition of bare-knuckle boxing.
    The 6ft 3in bruiser, who later helped guide Tyson as he made his way in the conventional game, said his tactics were to “throw a lot of punches” and “get the job done as soon as possible”.
    His professional record included four losses, but with bare knuckles he was unbeaten, adding: “I was ­prepared to fight anyone, anywhere, any time.”
    John bought a farm at Styal, in Cheshire, when he was 26 and the settled life gave Tyson a formal education his father was denied.
    The future champion went to the local primary school, where John remembers he was “huge” compared to the other boys in his class.
    Tyson began boxing aged 11 and took to it “like a duck to water”.
    By the time he was 15 he was already 6ft 5in and finding sparring partners difficult to come by.
    John would drive him as far afield as Huddersfield and Leicester looking for suitable fighters who could cope with his son’s explosive power.
    ‘Prison didn’t bother me’
    When John was 30 he embarked on a five-year stint as an “enforcer” — which meant people who were owed a debt or were being bullied could call him and he would “sort it out in my own way for a fee”.
    In 2011, John was jailed for 11 years after gouging out fellow ­traveller Oathie Sykes’s eye following a 12-year feud.
    John said: “It was two gypsy ­people, proud people, so someone’s going to get hurt.
    “I never intended to hurt him like that but, when you are fighting where anything goes, it can happen.
    “If it had happened to me I’d have moved on and not got the police involved because I’m a true-bred, fighting, travelling man.
    “Other people don’t think like me but that’s in the past and I’ve moved on from it.”
    He added: “Prison didn’t bother me. I’m a big believer in Jesus Christ and thought, ‘If this is my destiny, I’ll come out a better man’.
    “I abided by the rules, didn’t talk back to anybody and kept myself very fit. I salute the prison officers.
    “When I finally left prison after serving five years, I took the warders some boxing gloves signed by Tyson. They were very good to me.”
    Now John avoids big gatherings in case his violent temper should get him into trouble again.
    Months after his release in 2015, he was ringside to witness Tyson become world champion after ­beating Wladimir Klitschko.
    With his gift of the gab from hawking carpets, John was TV gold at weigh-ins and press conferences.
    And he was soon a star turn on reality shows including ITV’s Tyson Fury: The Gypsy King series and Netflix’s At Home With The Furys.
    But, like Tyson, John suffers from mental health issues.
    He admits: “Even after everything Tyson has achieved, I can get up in the morning and think, ‘What a waste of time, nothing is worth anything’.
    “The only thing you get in your head is negative stuff.
    “I try and put it to one side and be positive about everything and say, ‘OK mental health, I ain’t playing today.
    “If I’m feeling not too clever I find some nice, bubbly person to talk to. They can make you feel so much better.”
    Yet the red mist can still descend for John.
    At son Tommy’s final press conference before fighting KSI last Saturday, a sweary John punched and headbutted a Perspex panel dividing the two fighters.
    He said: “It’s not pantomime, it’s the real me. If you upset me, I’m going to have a go back.
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    “On my gravestone I’d like them to put, ‘John Fury, a man of extremes’. I may be a fighter but the best of me is as a father.”

    When Fury Takes Over, by John Fury (Macmillan, £22), is out on Thursday.
    Tomorrow: Exclusive extracts – why gangland boss put a contract out to kill me.

    Like Tyson, John suffers from mental health issues.Credit: MacMillan
    John exchanges words with champ Deontay Wilder during a weigh-inCredit: Sportsfile – Subscription
    When Fury Takes Over, by John Fury (Macmillan, £22), is out on ThursdayCredit: MacMillan More