Former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury was drinking again this weekend as footage emerged of him being escorted out of a bar in his native Morecambe before collapsing on the pavement.
The clip, which has gone viral on social media, was a worrying sight for fans, especially those who are aware of his relationship with alcohol over the years.
Fury, 35, may have established himself as one of the best heavyweights on the planet over the last decade, but his journey to the top hasn’t been easy, and alcohol has played a role in his struggles.
In 2015, Fury shocked the world by dethroning heavyweight great Wladimir Klitschko in Germany. It should have been the happiest moment of Fury’s professional life and marked the beginning of a period of dominance, but instead he did not return to the ring for almost three years.
Fury pulled out of a rematch with Klitschko in 2016 and turned to drink. He gained up to 28 kilos over the next 18 months due to a combination of alcohol, drugs and leaving the boxing gym behind.
He was seen at Euro 2016, buying Jagerbombs from England fans while watching Roy Hodgson’s men travel to Iceland. Both Fury’s and Hodgson’s teams seemed to be far from their best.
Tyson Fury (green jacket) had to be escorted out of a bar at the weekend and then collapsed on the sidewalk.
Fury has often turned to drink in the past, but has admitted that it has not helped him during his most difficult times.
Fury admitted in 2018 that alcohol had a negative effect on his mental health and led him to contemplate suicide.
The Gypsy King later admitted that his initial plan had been to take a break from the ring, but he took things too far and his mental health suffered, leading him to contemplate suicide.
‘I needed some time off, I had been boxing from the age of 10, 11 until I was 27 without a break. So he needed time to live a little and enjoy himself, but he went too far,” he told the Breakfast Club in 2018.
‘I really don’t know what had me down, but I knew it was out of control. The only thing I could think of to make it better and get away for a while was to get drunk and that led to trouble after trouble after trouble.’
After appearing down, Fury rose from the mat in 2018 and dusted himself off as he began another bid to reach the top of the boxing world. He lost 10 kilos and had a couple of warm-up fights before facing fearsome puncher Deontay Wilder.
Few gave Fury much of a chance after his previous drunken antics, but he defied the odds again to earn a draw against Wilder, and many observers believed he deserved to have his hand raised.
Fourteen months later, Fury delivered arguably the performance of his career to dismantle Wilder in seven rounds. He had climbed the mountain again and the world was his oyster.
But another period of inactivity awaited him, as he did not fight again for 20 months. During this time, he started drinking again.
Fury ballooned to 28kg in 2017 after turning to alcohol and drugs after beating Wladimir Klitschko two years earlier.
He was spotted on holiday during Euro 2016, drinking with England fans and Butinh Jagerbombs.
Fury fought back to beat Deontay Wilder in 2020 and 2021 by knockout
But Fury returned to drinking after beating Wilder for the second time while partying in Las Vegas.
Taking to social media in March 2021, more than a year after his victory over Wilder, Fury told fans he was having fun on holiday drinking 12 pints a day.
Having gotten into the shape of his life just a few months earlier, Fury didn’t look like he would be in any shape to fight anytime soon.
He realized this himself and, in May 2021, gave up drinking to prioritize his mental well-being.
That approach paid off when he beat Wilder for the second time in their trilogy fight in October, rising from the canvas twice to knock out the American in the 11th round.
Fury would go on to reveal that his preparation had been interrupted because his newborn daughter was seriously ill in hospital in the run-up to the fight, but his decision to turn his back on alcohol certainly seemed to help when he downed Wilder’s drink. Bigger hits and I still went back for more.
His rivalry with Wilder had been ended, but his relationship with alcohol was far from over.
Fury partied late into the night after beating Wilder again, and was seen drinking an £800 bottle of vodka.
A few weeks later he was at it again, this time settling into an eight-hour drinking session with two female fans after they approached him for a selfie in a Manchester bar.
Fortunately, he returned to the ring within six months, stopping Dillian Whyte at Wembley, but would only fight once more over the next 18 months, outpointing Derek Chisora in 10 one-sided rounds.
His first fight of 2023 didn’t come until late October, after more drunken sessions, when he faced former UFC champion Francis Ngannou, and Fury’s physical condition at his first press conference suggested he wasn’t taking his time. completely serious opponent.
Fury appeared out of shape for his fight with Francis Ngannou and claimed to have beaten his opponent after drinking 25 pints.
He ended up surviving a huge scare against Ngannou when he was knocked down before winning a split decision.
The heavyweight giant took off his top to reveal a meaty midriff as he declared he could drink 25 pints of beer and still beat Ngannou.
Fury didn’t put that to the test, but he appeared to be far from his best when he defeated Ngannou by split decision after being knocked down in the third round.
Many expected Fury to take that as a humiliating experience, as he almost lost to a man who was having his first professional boxing match, but Fury’s ego seemed intact.
After finally agreeing to face Oleksandr Usyk in an undisputed showdown, Fury cheekily boasted at a press conference that he would fire the Ukrainian after drinking 15 pints of Peroni.
Perhaps Usyk should have taken it as a compliment that Fury had undercut Ngannou’s figure by 10 pints, but it was still a bold claim that he ultimately couldn’t back up.
In their back-and-forth battle in Saudi Arabia last month, Usyk came on strong in the late rounds to take down Fury and prevail on points.
Fury insisted afterwards that he deserved the win, but it went down in the record books as his first professional loss and that can be hard to accept.
Fury insisted he could beat Oleksandr Usyk after drinking 15 pints of Peroni
Usyk mocked that statement when he took down Fury and outpointed him.
Fury may be struggling to come to terms with his first loss, and fans are worried after seeing him leave a bar over the weekend.
He may have been in a bar in Morecambe over the weekend to drown his sorrows partying with friends and fans, but the night ended when he needed help from security before falling outside and struggling to get back on his feet.
A source told The Sun that Fury “had a couple too many and wasn’t feeling great either”, and fans will be hoping this is just a setback that he can recover from quickly.
Despite the boasts about how much he can drink at his press conferences, the truth seems a little different: The Gypsy King admits that his ability to hold his drink isn’t what it once was in his Netflix documentary. At home with the Furys.
‘I ran out of two, three pints, mostly beer. Drunk without sense and without words. Especially if you don’t drink all the time,” he said in 2023.
His rematch with Usyk is already scheduled for December 21, and Fury now knows that nothing less than his best will be enough to challenge his undefeated rival.
Fellow Brit Anthony Joshua is also back to top form, while Daniel Dubois is another emerging talent at the top of the heavyweight division.
If Fury doesn’t get back on track quickly, he could fall behind, and that would be a sad end to an extraordinary career.
