Tyson Fury (born 12 August 1988) is a professional boxer. He has held the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles since 2015, and is ranked as the world’s best heavyweight by Boxing Monthly, The Ring, and ESPN. He is also ranked as the UK’s and Europe’s best heavyweight by the Boxing Writers Association of America, and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.
Fury was born and raised in Wythenshawe, Manchester, England. His paternal grandfather was from Tyrella, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. He was highly active as a child and took up boxing at the age of 12. His amateur career saw him win the ABA super-heavyweight title in 2008 before turning professional later that year.
Fury made his professional debut in December 2008, aged 20, with a first-round win over Hungarian heavyweight Bela Gyongyosi. He won his first seven fights by knockout, including notable wins over former WBO cruiserweight champion Marcelo Fabian Perocho and former Commonwealth heavyweight champion Zack Page. In his eighth professional bout, he faced fellow unbeaten heavyweight Dereck Chisora and won by technical knockout in the tenth round to claim the vacant English heavyweight title.
After winning the English title, Fury traveled to Belfast toChallenge for the Commonwealth heavyweight title against Northern Ireland’s Tommy McCarthy, who he stopped in the fifth round to claim the belt. In his next bout, Fury faced undefeated former Olympian and world title challenger Alexander Povetkin, whom he beat via seventh-round TKO to claim the WBA Inter-Continental and vacant WBO International heavyweight titles.
Fury’s first world title opportunity came in November 2015, when he fought long-reigning world champion Wladimir Klitschko for the WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO, The Ring, and lineal heavyweight titles. Fury won the bout by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the bout 115–112 in his favour. This win secured Fury’s status as the new heavyweight champion of the world.
