TYSON FURY’S father, John Fury, believes his family do not command the respect of the British and Irish media because they come from the Irish Travellers’ community.
Born in Tuam, Galway, John Fury still calls Ireland his ‘home’ but has been left hurt by the media’s reluctance to acknowledge his son’s achievements from both sides of the water.
Fury ended Wladimir Klitschko’s nine-and-a-half-year stint as world champion last November, though a spell of bad press ensued amid derogatory comments he made towards homosexuals and women, for which he later apologised.
With the date and venue for the re-match between Fury and Klitschko now confirmed as July 9 in Manchester Arena, John believes it’s high time his son got the credit he deserves for the monumental challenge he overcame in the first fight.
“I get pains in my heart over what I see with my son because he’s my own flesh and blood, he’s done the impossible, but he might as well have just won some English title or an Irish title,” he told The Irish Post.
“To do what he did – beat Klitschko against all the odds in a war nobody thought he could win – I’m disgusted. Ireland and England need to wake up and say ‘You know what, this kid is the best thing we’ve ever had on both shores’.
“Forget who he is and where he’s from, let’s respect what he’s done in the sport of boxing. That’s all I ask.”
Tyson Fury represented Ireland as an amateur but his quest to obtain an Irish passport was quelled by a lack of documentation and, as such, he has represented Britain ever since turning professional.
Fury, left won the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO titles from Klitschko in a sensational upset in Duesseldorf (PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images)His father, though, says the Irish media and public are still well within their rights to claim him as one of their own.
“I was born in Ireland and have spent a lot of time in England, so I know both countries very, very well,” he said.
“What people are forgetting here is that he has done it for Ireland as well as England, and what good did they say about him in Ireland and what good did they say about him in England? Very little.
“I can’t say it doesn’t bother me, because it does. He’s done virtually the impossible, what no one from Ireland has ever done. I’m not asking for the red carpet, just a little bit more respect.
“At the moment, we’re getting nothing from no one. Not Ireland, not England, we just seem to be flies in the ointment, bothering people. Because we’re nobodies, we’re Travellers, we don’t count.
“The world doesn’t want Travelling people – outspoken people. They like yes men, liars and cheats, because they can deal with them. They can’t deal with proper people, truthful people, and that’s the bottom line.
“I know there’s a lot of bad people in the Travelling community, but there’s a lot of bad people in other communities too. Don’t tar everyone with the same brush.
“I want people to respect what we do, not outside of boxing, just in boxing. If you love boxing, just respect what we’ve done. My brother Peter (Tyson’s trainer) works endless hours – we all do – I keep his ship steady. It’s been stressful work to get him where he is, and that’s just behind the scenes.
“It’s about Tyson and Team Fury, and the work we’ve put in and the stress we’ve endured to get to the heavyweight championship of the world. We just want our just desserts for it.”
