The newest boxing heavyweight champion is also an outspoken believer in Christ.
Tyson Fury, who regained the WBC heavyweight title Saturday by defeating Deontay Wilder, credited his faith moments after the match.
“First and foremost, I want to say thank you to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Fury said, still standing in the ring. “I said those who bring evil against me will not prosper. I said those who stand in the dark can never come into the light. All praise be to the one and only true God, Jesus Christ.”
“All praise be to the one and only true God, Jesus Christ.”
— @Tyson_Fury pic.twitter.com/f9e9pARpEE— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) February 23, 2020
Fury, age 31, is undefeated with 30 wins, no losses and one split decision. Twenty-one of his wins came via knockout.
His Twitter bio reads, “Jesus loves us all.”
Fury’s weekend victory capped a comeback from a bout with depression and a battle with alcohol and cocaine dependency. After winning the IBF, WBA and WBO titles in 2015, Fury said he lost his will to live. He left boxing and didn’t fight for two and a half years. Others won the titles.
“I woke up every day wishing I would not wake up any more,” the British boxer told BBC Sport in 2018.
Fury “was rich, successful, young, healthy, had a family, fame — everything a man could dream of,” he said.
“But I was still depressed,” he said. “To subside that depression other things happened.”
Fury started going to counseling and now says he is “back in love with boxing.” He is 5-0-1 in major title fights since his 2018 return.
Boxing fans now are eyeing a Fury matchup with Anthony Joshua, who holds the IBF, WBA and WBO titles.
“I am living proof anyone can come back from the brink,” Fury said.
“There is a lot of people out there suffering with mental health problems who think all their days will be grey, but life can improve again and you will start to enjoy the little things again.”
Fury and his wife, Paris, have five children.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Al Bello/Staff
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, The Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
