Candid Tyson Fury admits the Deontay Wilder trilogy 'took a lot out of me'

PATTAYA, Thailand – Tyson Fury has spent almost two decades writing one of boxing's most remarkable stories.

There have been moments of triumph, despair and redemption. He announced himself to the world by dethroning long-reigning heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, disappeared after battles with drug-testing authorities, alcohol and depression, then returned to produce an unforgettable trilogy with Deontay Wilder. More recently, he came agonisingly close to becoming the first man to defeat Oleksandr Usyk in their two battles.

Now 37, Fury is still adding chapters to a career that will be talked about long after he hangs up the gloves – and keeps them there for good. The latest chapter has taken him to Pattaya, Thailand, where he'll face 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in an arena that holds barely 1,500 people.

It's an unlikely event for one of boxing's biggest names, but one Fury says is about raising money for charity while sharpening up for a long-overdue showdown with Anthony Joshua.

Fury has reached the stage of his career where he can do as he pleases. If he wants to fight in front of 90,000 at Wembley, he can. If he wants to box in a 1,500-seat Muaythai arena in Pattaya, nobody is going to tell him otherwise.

However, It wasn't always like that. Before the stadium fights and Netflix cameras came small halls and a controversial 2009 points win over John McDermott that many believed he was fortunate to escape with.

Through it all, however, Fury never doubted where he was heading.

“I always believed in myself, even as a kid I believed I'd be heavyweight champion of the world,” Fury told BoxingScene. “There's videos out there even that prove it, and before I even had many pro fights or even amateur fights, I was always going to be heavyweight champion of the world. There was always that faith to do what I had to do.”

In a professional career spanning 18 years, Fury has achieved almost everything the sport has to offer, including every belt. Yet when asked for his greatest achievement, the former two-time heavyweight champion didn’t point to defeating Klitschko, his trilogy with Wilder, or any of the world titles he'd won.

“The biggest achievement I've ever done is turning professional, without that I wouldn't be here would I?" said Fury. “It happened in 2008 and my opponent's name was Bela Gyongyosi. I'd say without that I would never have made it to this point, never be able to do all the things I've done. If I'd chosen a different path, not being a professional boxer – which nearly happened many times – my life would have been so much different than it is today.

“So the single greatest achievement in my career was turning pro because it almost never happened many times. It was crazy.”

Despite Fury being involved in some thrillers over the years, in particular his third battle with Wilder to end their iconic trilogy, he does not dwell on his past fights.

“I watched the Uysk fights afterwards a few times and I watched the Klitschko fight a few times, I watched the Wilder fight a few times but after they're done, I don't put them on repeat, I’m not really interested, it's in the past,” he said. “I think Wilder III was one of the best heavyweight fights in history. I’ve watched a lot of good fights; up and down, could have gone either way. Heart, determination and an 11th round knockout. It's an unbelievable fight.”

Whilst Fury came out victorious in two of his three tussles with Wilder – the other being a controversial draw many felt Fury deserved to win in their first encounter – he admitted the heavy hits, four of which knocked him down, have taken their toll.

“I ended Wilder's career completely, and he took a lot out of me as well, a lot,” admitted Fury. “So yeah, that's what happens. You know, when Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazer had them good fights, they took a lot out of each other. And Ali and Ken Norton, people like that, them trilogies do take a lot out of you. It is what it is, it's boxing, and all good champions come to an end, that's what it is. 

“I'm just riding this Cinderella story to the end until the wheels fall off, as Roy Jones Jnr says. I'm enjoying doing it as well.”

Fury's profile now extends beyond boxing. His Netflix series At Home With The Furys has introduced him to a wider audience, while his family has become famous in their own right. Yet Fury insists he craves a simple life.

“I'm not here to inspire the masses, I'm just here to make a few quid and go home,” he said. “That's what I'm here to do, nothing more, nothing less. I'm not here to be a hero, I'm not here to be a role model, I'm not here to be any of that, I'm just here to make a living and go home. That's it, that's all I've ever done, that's all I ever wanted to do. I don't want to be a world-class hero, I don't want to be a superstar, I don't want to be someone who someone follows.

“I just want to be good to my family and be able to pay the bills and provide. I just live a decent life, go to the shop and have a diet coke and a sandwich and that's it, good. I live a very simple life, so I don't really need a lot to do that, but for me it's about going in, getting a job done and going home.”