Tyson Fury’s latest showdown with Deontay Walker has been set for October. The third matchup between the heavyweights promises to be an explosive encounter. Those who bet on boxing will be interested to know that Fury is the odds-on favorite to win the third bout, with odds of 4/3.
The British boxer is well known for his wild personality and sense of showmanship. Here we are taking a look at his funniest moments…
Gypsy and Trash Talking King
Fury, the self-styled Gypsy King, has always managed to impress boxing fans with his ability to aggravate his opponents with ‘trash talk’. Fury’s ongoing feud with the American Bronze Bomber has been going full throttle for many years now. Their first verbal run-in happened back in 2012.
Fury criticised Wilder’s win over Kevin Johnson online, tweeting “Just watched Wilder fight” Not impressed at all!
This led to an ongoing war of words over the online platform between the two fighters, with either party refusing to give ground.
The next year Fury tweeted to Wilder – known as the Bronze Bomber – “I can’t wait to knock you out. Chump.”
The feud escalated even more during the pre-fight build-up ahead of their second title belt bout in 2020.
To start with, Fury barged into Walker’s chest, which resulted in a shoving match between the two. An angry Fury then famously called his opponent a “big dosser”, before informing him that “you’re getting knocked spark out.”
The bouts between the two have been just as intense as the verbal sparring. The first fight in 2018 resulted in a controversial split decision draw. Fury was then largely dominant in the 2020 rematch and won thanks to a TKO.
The upcoming third fight between the two fighters marks Fury’s first defense as WBC champion.
Sense of the Dramatic
Fury also has a sense of the outrageous to go along with his tough verbal wit. He has been known to deliver dramatic performance to mark an occasion.
One of the best examples of Fury’s wild humor was at a press conference ahead of a bout against Vladimir Klitschko.
The fighter burst into the London hotel ballroom dressed in a Batman costume. Fury bounded into the room to the cheers of friends and family while the music of the Batman themes rang out.
There were also farcical scenes as a Joker-dressed man squared up to Fury and had a mock-fight. ‘Batman’ declared “he is a fool, just like you are!” toward Klitschko before marching his arch-enemy out of the room.
Fury then reappeared smartly dressed and apologized for being late. He then went on a full verbal assault of Klitschko and his boxing abilities.
The best of the bunch was the intense slam dunk of the following enthusiastic quote.
“You have a chin like a piece of glass and when I hit it, it will explode like this glass against that wall. What am I afraid of? A man who has had 20 defenses against bums? I’m not interested in your titles; I’m only interested in breaking your face in.”
Klitschko later said that it was the most entertaining press conference he had attended in his whole career.
Deadly Words
Fury can also trade deadly words with fellow British fighters. In 2014 he began his attack on Dereck Chiosra before getting into the ring with memorable lines.
“Have you brushed your teeth? Your breath stinks – you’re ugly and I’m not,” he sounded out to Chiosra and the news crews.
Another famous occasion when Fury’s mouth did the damage before the bell was ahead of his fight against David Price in 2012.
Derogatorily – and incorrectly – referring to Price’s pre-boxing trade as an engineer – he witheringly said, “you plumber from Liverpool, I’m going to do you some serious harm, you big stiff idiot.”
He then went on to say that he was going to need “ten plumbers to do you when I’ve got finished with you. You are getting it – for sure.”
Another favorite verbal punching bag for Fury is fellow Brit Anthony Joshua. Hilariously Fury offered to help teach Joshua how to box before calling him a “bum”. He then promised that their fight would be the easiest night’s work of his life.
Jerome Miller has also been on the receiving end of Fury’s barbed tongue. The subject of a call out video from Fury inviting him to a bare-knuckle fight, the British fighter did not hold back.
This mastery of pre-match nerves and confidence is something that Fury excels at. The mixture of aggressive posturing and schoolboy humor marks out the boxer as something of a wild card.
It has also helped make him one of the most successful fighters of his generation.
Whether it will be a factor ahead of his next face-off against Deontay Walker remains to be seen. But judging by past performances it certainly looks likely.