Tyson Fury is the current WBC, Ring Magazine and lineal heavyweight champion and made a second successful defence with a sixth round stoppage of Dillian Whyte on April 23, 2022.
He is the second fighter after Riddick Bowe to win all four recognised world titles having previously held the WBA, IBF and WBO belts.
Fury is credited for resurrecting the heavyweight division after ending an 11-year reign of Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 with a unanimous decision victory in Dusseldorf, Germany.
He is ranked by Ring Magazine as the best heavyweight on the planet and is the only Briton to have been named Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year on two occasions [2015 and 2020].
After a three-year hiatus from the ring, Fury returned in 2018 and in just his third fight back he challenged Wilder for the WBC title. The fight would end in controversial circumstances with the bout scored as a split-draw in Los Angeles at the Staples Center.
Instead of accepting an immediate rematch, Fury signed a five-fight deal with Bob Arum's Top Rank, which would see all his fights streamed on ESPN and ESPN+. The contract is believed to be worth $100million.
Since signing under the Top Rank banner, Fury has won all five of his fights against Tom Schwartz, Otto Wallin and Wilder in Las Vegas (twice) - his new fighting home - and Dillian Whyte.
The Fury vs Joshua collapse
Fury was expected to fight Wilder for a third time towards the end of 2020. With this never coming to fruition, the plans turned to the mammoth unification bout against Anthony Joshua.
After months of negotiations, the bout was finally agreed upon. The teams settled on Saudi Arabia as the host country of the event, with a proposed date of August 14, 2021.
Fury vs Wilder 3 was agreed to take place on July 24 at the T-Mobile Arena in Nevada, Las Vegas but got moved to October 9 after Fury tested positive for Covid-19.
Deontay Wilder rivalry
Fury and Wilder have fought each other three times, the first being in 2018 at the iconic Staples Center. There was huge anticipation for both fights, especially the first with Fury returning to fight for the WBC world title after just two warm-up fights following his time out the ring.
The "Gypsy King" had not fought at world level since 2015 against Klitschko after vacating the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO world titles because of mental health struggles, which led to drug and alcohol abuse.
On his return to the big stage, Fury had shredded over 100-pounds, nearly the equivalent of Josh Warrington in weight, and went into the bout as a huge underdog.
Wilder entered the fight with a record of 40-0 (39-0) and had been considered as the biggest heavyweight puncher since Mike Tyson with knockout victories over Luis Ortiz and Bermane Stiverne. Meanwhile, Fury was 27-0 (19) with his previous victory being against Francesco Pianeta in Belfast.
After Fury's win in 2018, Wilder invaded the ring and declared: "We're ready now, this fight will happen. It's on baby, this is what we've been waiting for right here, the best fighting the best."
The fight, which took place on December 1, 2018, was played out in front of 17,698 in Los Angeles, California. It was the first time two undefeated world heavyweight champions had faced off in a ring in the modern era.
Fury, who weighed in at 256.5-pounds, boxed brilliantly from the outside and used his height and reach to befuddle Wilder as he stayed out of range and built up a lead on the cards.
The game plan, orchestrated by Ben Davison and with the assistance of Freddie Roach, was going perfect until Wilder dropped Fury in the ninth with a short-left hook-overhand right combination.
Fury was up quickly to beat the count and won the following two rounds for most observers with Wilder overthrowing the right hand and rushing his punch selection.
In the final stanza however, Wilder uncorked a right-left combo from the Gods which left Fury flat on his back. The American kissed his gloves looking into the camera with Fury not moving as the referee Jack Reiss took up the count.
Astonishingly, Fury somehow beat the count in what was the most iconic moment in recent years and finished the round on top. The fight went to the cards with one judge seeing it 114-112 for Fury and another scoring for Wilder 115-111.
British judge Phil Edwards scored it 113-113 meaning the result was a split-draw, a decision that was met with boos from most fans in the arena.
The rematch
The rematch took place in February 2020 - this time the fight would take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Going into the bout, Wilder claimed the referee was slow in counting Fury out in the first fight as the latter somehow regained his feet and composure in the final round.
In a shock move, Fury decided to replace good friend Davison with SugarHill Steward as his trainer alongside Cousin Andy Lee. It was a return to the Kronk Gym for Fury, who had previously spent time there with the great Emanuel Steward.
Fury, who entered the fight at 273-pounds, won the rematch in emphatic fashion, forcing a seventh-round stoppage over Wilder, who weighed in at a career-heaviest (231-pounds).
The fight, which was against on pay-per-view, generated the biggest buys for a heavyweight bout since Lewis' win over Tyson in 2002 with an estimated 1.2 million sales, according to Arum.
The trilogy
The greatest hits: Chisora, Cunningham and Klitschko
The zenith of Fury's career before his triumph over Wilder was his win in Germany against Klitschko in November 2015.
Few outside of his close circle gave Tyson a chance, especially as the match had been made in Germany - a country seen as Klitschko's second home after Ukraine.
As a 4-1 betting outsider, Fury upset the long-reigning heavyweight champion via unanimous decision.
The Ukrainian had held a recognised world title since 2006 but had few answers against Fury, as the Traveller nullified Klitschko's attacking threat while building a lead on the cards. He eventually cruised to a 115-112 (twice), 116-11 win on the cards at the Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf.
Wilder
Other notable wins for Fury include two victories over Derek 'War' Chisora for the British and European titles. The second win over Chisora in 2014 was a third world title eliminator for Fury and secured him his chance to take on Klitschko.
When Fury is asked about his toughest fight inside the ring, he admits it is not Wilder nor Klitschko but in fact Philly's Steve Cunningham.
The pair fought each other in 2014 and Fury nearly tasted defeat after tasting the canvas in round two by Cunningham - trained by the late Naazim Richardson.
Fury's most recent win was a spectacular knockout of Dillian Whyte in front of 94,000 fans at Wembley Stadium - a UK record for an attended boxing fight.
Weight fluctuation
Fury's victory over Swedish southpaw Wallin saw him tip the scales at 254.4-pounds - it was his lightest since beating Klitschko at 247-pounds although his weight against the latter is something he disputes.
In the height of his battle with mental health, Fury ballooned up to 385-pounds in November 2017.
His last fighting weight was 273-pounds against Wilder, which Fury describes as his most effective weight for premium performance.
Promoter
Fury is handled by Hall of Famer Frank Warren in the UK and legendary promoter Arum across the Atlantic. His deal with Arum and ESPN has two fights remaining after signing a deal with Top Rank in 2018.
Fury has previously been promoted by Mick Hennessey, who signed the heavyweight when he turned professional. While his broadcasting home in the UK is BT Sport, Fury has fought on Sky Sports Box Office, ITV and Channel 5 in the past.
Arum
How to watch Tyson Fury on TV
Fury is a PPV attraction and his last fight was shown on BT Sport Box Office on UK shores and featured on Showtime and ESPN PPV in America with it costing the customer $79.99 compared to £24.99 in Britain.
It is believed his rematch with Wilder generated $66million in PPV and ticket sales in the US. Fury and Wilder both earned a reported $25million.
Tyson Fury's net worth
Fury was said to have earned between $4million and $7million for his world title triumph against Klitschko. However, his recent deal with ESPN and Top Rank was said to be worth $100million.
According to Forbes, Fury was the highest earning boxer in the world in 2020 having profited $55million in the previous 12 months. It placed him No.11 on the World's Highest-Paid Athletes in 2020, above Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Joshua.
His earnings included his appearance in WWE's Crown Jewel and "Unmasked" - the autobiography by Fury himself.
Personal life
Fury's loud and eccentric father 'Gypsy' John Fury was an active heavyweight fighter in the 1980s, though failed to win any domestic or world honours.
Fury Sr. cannot travel to America when his son fights after being denied a visa following an 11-year sentence for gouging another man's eye out during a fight at a car auction.
While John was in prison Tyson was trained by his Uncle Peter Fury, who was in his corner for the Klitschko win. His father is credited as being a huge influence on helping Fury beat depression and becoming world champion once again.
He is married to Paris Fury and the couple have six children in their three sons named Prince Tyson Fury II, Prince yAdonis Amaziah, and Prince John James; and three daughters named Venezuela, Valencia Amber and Athena Fury.
They all featured in ITV's documentary series named 'Meet the Fury's' which followed Fury and his family's journey ahead of his rematch with Wilder. Tyson is the older brother of Tommy Fury, who entered the Love Island villa back in June 2019.
Tommy is also a pro boxer and his girlfriend Molly-Mae Hague, who he met on the show, cheered him on from ringside as he beat Polish fighter Przemyslaw Binienda at London's Copper Box Arena in December 2019.
Amateur achievements
As an amateur Fury represented Ireland and England. His amateur career was relatively short although he had four defeats on his record, including one to former British rival David Price.
Liverpudlian Price was selected ahead of Fury for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and won a bronze medal, but it is Fury who has enjoyed a much more decorated pro career.
Fury won the 2008 ABA super-heavyweight title but decided against staying around for the 2012 Olympics and turned pro the same year. He ended his amateur career with a 31-4 record.
Fury boxed for Jimmy Egan's Boxing Academy in Wythenshawe and boxed for a brief spell in Northern Ireland at the Holy Family Boxing Club in Belfast.