Tyson Fury has conquered giants in the ring and been to the top of the heavyweight division, but his fight to maintain his mental health is never-ending.
People are fascinated with the unique lives of boxers. It’s the reason that the film Rocky resonates with so many people. Boxing is the best sporting metaphor for life. You go through daily battles and either endure or fail. The boxing backstories that entrance us the most are the ones mired in trauma but that end in triumph. That’s why Tyson Fury is capturing the world’s attention and admiration.
Fury’s struggles with mental health are common knowledge. The way he dealt with bipolar disorder and educated the public about coping with mental health problems is inspirational. In 2018, Fury filmed a Showtime special focused entirely on his lifelong fight with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
Most assume that his problems started after he defeated Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 to become the unified and lineal heavyweight champion of the world. That moment marks the darkest period of his life, but his mental health problems have shrouded him his entire life.
“I always had it [bipolar disorder],” Fury explained to FanSided. “I always was going in and out of depression. I always had anxiety from being a kid. I never knew what it was until I got proper professional advice and help years later. ”
After defeating Klitschko for heavyweight dominance, Fury didn’t undergo a transition from joy to gloom. He achieved his primary professional goal. Once he met his objective, he no longer had a boundary from the full force of his mental health problems.
“It wasn’t the joy of winning the title to depression,” said Fury. “It had nothing to do with it. I’ve suffered with depression my whole life. I always had a goal of becoming the heavyweight champion of the world. It always kept me on the straight and narrow path. When that goal no longer existed anymore, then I didn’t have anything to keep me on the straight path. I dived into a whirlpool of depression and anxiety, mental health problems, which wasn’t an attractive sight.”
Boxing didn’t just provide Fury with financial stability. It prevented his mental health problems from consuming his life. In a way, boxing provided Fury with a remedy to cope with his illness. Once his purpose and desire for boxing ceased, his illness took full control.
“Without boxing, I would be in a very dark lonely place,” said Fury. “Now that I’ve had education, I know how to deal with it. It becomes easier in life. Without the right education, without the right help, then it’s going to get real hard.”
Two years after defeating Klitschko, Fury hit rock bottom. His behavior was erratic, he was under investigation by the UKAD (U.K Anti-Doping Organization), and he was stripped of his titles. He was under tremendous pressure and scrutiny. The effects of his illness were amplified to new heights. Fury stopped working out and turned to alcohol and drugs to escape the stresses of life externally and the condition he was born with and lived with daily.
“Mental illness will never drive you to the drugs,” revealed Fury. “You will drive yourself to the drugs through mental illness. That makes sense? I would go out drinking to get rid of the pain because when you’re drunk and high, you don’t think about anything else except what’s happening there and then. It masks pain for a few minutes, or however long you do it for. But when you wake up the next day, you feel an avalanche of more depression.”
Fury was trapped under the power of his mental illness. He was suicidal, and those that love him the most were unable to help him. His family could do nothing to assist Fury and his battle with bipolar disorder and depression. They were unaware of his condition and how to deal with it as was Fury.
“It was hard for them obviously to see what was going on,” related Fury. “Like I said, they didn’t have and education or an understanding on what I was going through. So it was really hard for them. I don’t suppose anyone understands mental health until you go through it yourself. It’s very hard to explain, and you don’t even know what I’m talking about unless you’ve suffered it yourself. It put a lot of pressure on [the] relationship and all that.”
Throughout the most tumultuous and destructive two years of his life, Fury always had the love and support of his family no matter what. They stood by him when his illness took him to his lowest depths. The love of his wife Paris helped him through it all.
“Listen, if the marriage was ever going to fall apart, it would have [been] done during all the bad times, but I got a good wife,” declared Fury. “We’ve got a good relationship. We’re still together 15 years later.”
He needed professional help but initially refused it. As time went on, Fury embraced medical advice. He was driven by the urge to regain all that he lost and the possibility of losing those around him.
In June of 2018, Fury returned to the ring and won after more than two years away from the sport. He fought Deontay Wilder six months later for a shot at the WBC title. The result was a draw, but Fury won in the court of public opinion.
Fury outboxed Wilder for most of the fight but lost points due to knockdowns in rounds 9 and 12. His ability to finish the bout in spirited fashion after the knockdown in the 12th was miraculous and mirrored Fury’s ability to survive the strife of mental illness.
“I got hit with a good shot, and went down, got back up. No biggy. It is what it is. It’s boxing. People get knocked down and get back up in life all the time. ”
His heroics in the fight cemented his return to the top of the heavyweight division and signified his victory over the illness that debilitated him for so long. He transcended the darkest days of his life, but the fight against mental illness never stops for Fury or anyone.
“There’s a great song called ‘Hotel California,'” said Fury. “In that song, there’s a verse that says, ‘You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.’ That’s what mental health is. There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t think about going back to darkness. The thing is you just have to take one day at a time and not look too far into the future and just be happy and thankful for what we have today.”
Fury’s next fight is against Otto Wallin (20-0, 13 KOs) on Sept. 14. and will be shown on ESPN+. Wallin gives Fury a chance to stay active and continue to prepare for an anticipated rematch with Wilder that is scheduled to take place on Feb. 22 in 2020 if all goes according to plan.
Fury has a lot riding on his performance against Wallin, but he’s not worried. He’s a believer in fate and has already accomplished so much in boxing and his personal life.
“I go in there, I’ll do my best, and that’s it,” said Fury optimistically. “There’s nothing much more I can do. Win, lose or draw if I give my best performance that’s it. I can’t do anymore as a person, as a husband, as a father as a brother, as a boxer, as an athlete, as a fighter. It’s all we can ever do in life is our best, and that’s it.”
Mental illness has been Fury’s toughest opponent. For most of his life, he didn’t realize that his condition was even present, but he’s aware and educated on how to deal with it now. That knowledge makes life easier. No opponent in the ring can be more daunting or threatening than mental illness. Winning the titles he lost is one of Fury’s goals, but it’s not the most important anymore.
“I want to maintain a happy life,” stated Fury contently. “That’s the only goal I have in life. To be happy.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression and considering self-harm, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free and confidential support, 24/7. You can call 1-800-273-8255 to be connected.