Despite his loss to Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury isn’t about to hang up his boxing gloves anytime soon – ignoring desperate pleas by his wife Paris to do just that.
The Gypsy King, who previously called time on his boxing career after defending his WBC title in 2022, is expected to agree to a rematch with the Ukrainian boxer later this year to bolster his “pride” – and, of course, the huge pay cheque is always nice. However, Paris, 34 – who called Tyson, 35, “the best man in my eyes” after the match – has expressed her fears for his health.
The previously undefeated heavyweight was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2017, and has struggled with depression, anxiety, alcohol addiction and cocaine abuse. And now a source tells us Paris is not happy he’s planning to enter the ring again.
“She had all these worries – not to mention anger – about Tyson doing the first fight, which she’s had to put aside to focus on making sure he doesn’t spiral after his defeat. So, to have to go through another cycle of that if there’s a rematch, she’s dreading it,” says an insider close to the couple, who have seven children.
“She begged him not to do the first fight. They had blazing rows about it and, in the end, she couldn’t even be there to watch it because she knew what would likely happen – and what would come afterwards.”
Fans were given an insight into Tyson’s mental health struggles in their Netflix reality show At Home With The Furys. Speaking about his issues previously, he said, “As tough as I am, I can be brought down to my knees by mental health on a daily basis.”
And our insider says that when things do go wrong, Tyson can be left dealing with “dark moods, feelings of failure, anger and frustration. He relives every moment and finds it difficult to move into the future and deal with leaving that world behind.”
After Tyson defeated Wladimir Klitschko and subsequently retired in 2015, he spiralled into a deep state of depression and substance addiction. “It was the worst few years of our lives,” Paris said. And now, we’re told, she fears history could repeat itself.
“Paris knows she has to focus on taking care of him and guiding him through this dark patch,” says the insider. “This is where her battles begin, because it’s not just about having to take care of Tyson – there’s the whole family. It will all fall on her shoulders.”
The source adds, “She worries they won’t survive this. That’s what’s making her angry – he’s the fighter, but it’s her who is actually battling every day.”