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Monday May 06, 2024

Fury hopes troubles in the past as he returns to ring

By AFP
June 09, 2018

MANCHESTER: Former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury makes his boxing comeback on Saturday after almost three years in exile that left him feeling suicidal.

The 29-year-old Englishman has never been far from attention while away from the ring due to the trials and tribulations that left him experiencing “the lowest of the lows to the point of not wanting to live”.

Fury has remained news while inactive due to a personal crisis that involved problems with mental health, excessive drinking, admitting cocaine use and serving a doping ban.But the talking — and Fury does a lot of it — will stop when he takes on 39-year-old Albanian Sefer Seferi — who has suffered just one defeat in 24 fights — in a ten-round non-title bout at the Manchester Arena.

“It was a rollercoaster few years and I’m just glad to be back,” Fury said at a press conference this week.Fury is back with the aim to regain the status he enjoyed briefly after outpointing Ukraine’s Wladimir Klitschko for three world title belts in November 2015.

After climbing to the heavyweight summit, 6ft 9in Fury then crashed to earth as his career and personal life spectacularly unravelled.He twice pulled out of rematches with Klitschko due to injuries before then admitting to suffering from depression.

As Fury lay idle and piled on the pounds, the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) title belts slipped from his grasp for others to fight for.

Fury claimed he was finished and the revelation of a positive drugs test in February 2015 left the prospect of him boxing again looking unlikely.But Fury rediscovered his passion under a new trainer, 25-year-old Ben Davison.Fury claims to have lost eight stone for his comeback.“I’m looking good, feeling good,” Fury said.“I don’t remember ever feeling this good, this quick, this strong.”