Tyson Fury is choosing America over Britain
Undefeated heavyweight giant Tyson Fury (29-0-1) has said that his native UK has lost their chance to have him as their sporting star and will only fight in the US from now on.
He stated, "They [the UK] had their chance. They didn't treat me well…over here [the US] I get treated like a superstar."
On his way up, Fury was often subjected to hefty fines from the British Boxing Board of Control for his expletive rants during press conferences. He once gaffer taped his mouth shut during a presser for his first fight with Derek Chisora with the initials BBBofC written on the tape.
Bizarrely, when completing one of the most incredible sporting achievements in the history of British boxing by defeating long-reigning heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko in his own back yard in Germany to claim the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO world titles, when he arrived back on home soil he was rejected by many and vilified for his outdated views on unrelated topics outside of boxing.
Instead of being questioned about his astounding victory in Dusseldorf, he was interrogated by the media on his views on homosexuality and other controversial subjects. It led to a constant hounding with press turning up outside his house, bloodthirsty for their share of the headlines.
He was further persecuted by fellow athletes as other sporting heros threatened to withdraw from BBC's Sports Personality of the Year Award if Fury was shortlisted. The reaction was astonishing as Fury's feat far outweighed any of the other candidates.
Despite his colourful persona and confidence, the rejection led to depression, drug addiction and weight-gain.
He struggled with being in the public eye and still does, claiming, "I hate fame. When I go to a big city, it's a nightmare. Torture."