Back in 1988, a passionate Mike Tyson fan named his son after the former 2-time heavyweight champion
Little did he know that his son would grow up to become a 2-time heavyweight champion as well. This is the fascinating tale behind John Fury naming his son, Tyson Fury. Today, ‘The Gypsy King’ is the WBC heavyweight champion and is certainly one of the most recognized athletes on the planet.
John Fury was a boxer himself during his career. However, he did not see significant notoriety. His record stood at 8 victories and 4 defeats. His favorite fighter was none other than Mike Tyson and to show his loyalty, he named his son after him. In a recent podcast with Mike Tyson, Fury explained his admiration for him and delved into how he managed to watch Tyson’s fights when the odds were against him.
John Fury fought against all odds to watch Mike Tyson fight
Fury is a fan of Tyson since the commencement of his career. He revealed that despite not having electricity, he managed to watch his bouts. On the Boxing Arabia podcast, sitting next to Tyson, he stated, “I didn’t have any money, I had no electricity, no running water, all I had was a petrol generator you had to pull that string out to make it work. I used to get up at 10 past three in the morning to start my generator ready for this guy to rock and roll.”
He added, “I spent my whole life admiring him and I felt sorry for him at the same time because you know when Cus died, he was like a father.” It is safe to say that Fury is emotionally attached to Tyson and his journey. He shared the joy with him in his ups and sorrow with him during his downs.
Mike Tyson finds “greatness” in Tyson Fury being named after him
In 2022, Tyson was asked about a fantasy matchup between him in his prime and Tyson Fury. However, Tyson was not bothered about the matchup as his greatness is etched in the fact that the WBC heavyweight champ is named after him.
As per Mirror, he stated, “Listen, just him being Tyson Fury shows my greatness.” He added, “I don’t know. I don’t care if he could beat me or not.”