Tyson Fury’s recent loss to Oleksandr Usyk has sparked much debate within the boxing community, particularly regarding the advice given by Fury’s corner during the fight. The fight, which took place in Saudi Arabia in May, saw Fury nearly stopped before losing on points. Since then, the corner’s strategy has come under scrutiny, with the help of head coach SugarHill Steward, trainer Andy Lee and Fury’s father John.
Fury’s uncle and former trainer Peter Fury has previously criticised the corner’s advice, and now Tyson’s brother Shane Fury has echoed similar sentiments. In an interview with iFL TV, Shane candidly assessed their father’s role, saying: “My view is, deeply, sincerely, my honest opinion is that my dad wants what’s best for his son and the best thing for his son after he’s been knocked down and almost unconscious is to get him through the fight. F*** boxing, you can get knocked out and not wake up. That’s his mentality because he wants the best for his sons but sometimes when you want the best for someone, maybe those aren’t the best instructions. Those instructions are sometimes not what you need.”
Last month, Peter Fury stressed the importance of having a single voice in the corner. In an interview with October Red, he said: “There should only be one man in the corner, not three or four. Some people get too emotional in the corner and some people give bad advice. I think the only one who had any sense in the final stretch of the fight was Sugar Hill, who said to put the pressure on him. When you go into a fight, it doesn’t matter who it is, it could be a family member, but you have to give clear and precise information, and what I always say to the fighter is: ‘Are you listening, do you understand what I just told you to do?’”
Peter also criticized the chaotic atmosphere, noting: “There were too many people, but maybe Tyson wants that, I don’t know, I haven’t dealt with him in years. I don’t know what the situation is, but to me the game plan was clearly wrong and only one person was supposed to talk. How can you listen to all that? It’s a bit of a panic and it’s all over the place.”
Peter stressed the need for professionalism in the corner: “I’ve always said I can’t be bought in boxing. If anybody talks in the corner, I’ll tell them to shut the f***ing mouth right now or get out the back. It’s happened before. I don’t want anything happening in that corner. You’re the man who pulls the bucket, you wash the mouthguard, you wipe his head, you don’t talk. That’s their instruction, and if they talk, when they come back to the locker room they’re fired on the spot. You’ve got to have a professional corner.”
Shane and Peter Fury’s comments highlight a crucial issue in the Tyson Fury camp: the need for clear and concise communication during fights. As the debate continues, it remains to be seen how Tyson Fury will address these concerns in future fights.
