Tyson Fury’s dad, John Fury, says he wants him to stay retired because he’s concerned with him winding up in the same position Joseph Parker was with Father Time catching up to him in an 11th-round technical knockout loss to a younger fighter, Fabio Wardley, last Saturday.
Papa Fury says that Oleksandr Usyk fought Fury at the perfect time after his three wars with Deontay Wilder, and “still never beat Tyson.” However, he thinks that the only way Fury can beat Usyk in a trilogy match is by knocking him out.
Wilder Trilogy Took Tyson’s Prime Away
John states that Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) hasn’t looked in his best form since his trilogy match with Deontay Wilder on October 9, 2021. Tyson was down twice in round four of that fight, which he won by an eleventh-round knockout.
In the first fight on December 1, 2018, Wilder had knocked Fury unconscious with a right-left combination in the 12th. Fury woke up in time to beat the count, but getting knocked cold couldn’t have done him any good neurologically.
“No, I don’t want him to return. I don’t want to see him like Joe Parker tonight, because sadly, that’s what happens. Father Time creeps up on you,” said John Fury to iFL TV. “Tyson has not been his best since the [Deontay] Wilder. The trilogy with Wilder done Wilder completely, and took a lot out of Tyson.”
Fury didn’t even look good in any of the three Wilder fights. He got lucky with the referee not stopping the contest when he was knocked out in the first bout against Deontay in the 12th round. Then there was what many believe was a slow count when Wilder dropped Fury in the fourth round of their trilogy match in October 2021.
Echoes of the Jack Dempsey Long Count
The referee delayed the count by focusing on ensuring Wilder went to his corner. It was similar to the famous Long Count fight between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney II on September 21, 1927.
In the eyes of many fans and some media members, Fury got away with what looked like a delayed count that should have been a knockout in the Wilder trilogy. He didn’t look impressive in that fight at all.
The Weak Era of Heavyweights Exposed
If that was Fury still at his best, it shows how weak the heavyweight division was at that stage. It’s improved dramatically since, with fighters like Fabio Wardley, Moses Itauma, and Agit Kabayel rising up.
“Usyk fought Tyson at the right time, and he still never beat Tyson when he was in three wars with an animal. You talk about a concussion. He had it. He come back, and there was an argument for Usyk both times. But if he wants to fight him again, I say, leave it go, because you got to get a knockout to win. The people around him don’t have the intelligence for him to beat Usyk,” said John.
Last Updated on 10/26/2025
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