Tyson Fury may be about to take part in one of the biggest boxing clashes of all time as he gears up to face Oleksandr Usyk. But did you know he once had to ply his trade in a very different profession?
The 35-year-old is just hours away from facing Usyk in a winner-takes-all fight, where the victor will walk away with all four belts and become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999. However, on the eve of this huge showdown, Fury has revealed his humble beginnings and how he used to earn a living as a car trader.
According to GB News, Fury shared that his involvement with cars was not just a way to put bread on the table but also a beloved pastime. He said, “Before I was boxing I was a car trader. While I’ve been boxing I’ve been messing around with cars. It’s my hobby.”
Fury, who is familiar with brokering multi-million-pound boxing deals, also explained that his love for the business world stemmed from his time as a car dealer. He added, “I love a deal, whether it’s for 10p or 10 grand or 10 million, whatever. I love having a deal.”
In classic showman style, the fighter known as ‘The Gypsy King’ revealed his first car purchase and that he bought the vehicle when he was just 10 years old. Fury recalled, “My first car was a 1997 Fiat Fiorino. I paid £360 for it. That was my first car that I was driving about in. But I actually bought my first car when I was ten years old. It was a Renault Clio, and I bought it from three doors down and sold it for a profit. I bought it for £60 and sold it for £110 on the same day. So I’ve been buying and selling my whole life.”
Despite his wealth and status, Fury is determined that his children will learn from the same humble beginnings and respect the value of what they earn. He elaborated, “Another lesson I like to do is, in the summertime, we always wash the cars down, maybe every other day. I ask the kids why we do it and my little boy will say ‘we wash these because things are hard to earn, dad, and we’ve got to look after our things haven’t we?’ And I say ‘yep, we have, well done son.’”
Fury’s mega clash with Usyk, set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, May 18, has the whole boxing world talking. Despite some early trash talk, Fury has shown respect for his Ukrainian opponent. Speaking about Usyk at the pre-fight press conference, Fury said, “As a fighter, he’s done everything that can be done, so you have to respect him. He’s come from Ukraine, I don’t know from what sort of background but probably a poor one. He’s done fantastic, just like Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua, Joseph Parker, myself. We’ve all done fantastic, we are multimillionaires who changed our stars for the better. You have to respect him and admire him.”
Fury admitted he doesn’t know his opponent personally but acknowledged that Usyk won’t mind public opinion once the fight concludes. Fury added, “I don’t really know him as a man because I’ve never been out with him for a beer. But from what I’ve seen, he’s a family man. I can 100 percent sit here and say, me or Usyk, when we sit back and we’re finished, we’re not going to be thinking about some idiot who said it was a good, bad or indifferent fight. I don’t think he’ll be bothered what people think of him when he’s getting a fortune on the world’s biggest stage. I always say, unless you’ve been a boxer who has won world championships then you can’t run people down.”
The stage is set for a historic showdown, and while the stakes are high, Fury’s journey from car trader to heavyweight champion serves as a powerful reminder of his resilience and passion for the sport.
