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Tyson Fury Will Switch To MMA When He Retires From Boxing

Tyson Fury Will Switch To MMA When He Retires From Boxing

Fury's father John reckons Tyson is keen on swapping his 12-ounce boxing gloves for a pair of MMA mitts once the world champ retires.

Max Sherry

Max Sherry

Tyson Fury fancies himself as a bit of a mixed martial artist - well, at least according to his old man.

Fury's father John reckons the undefeated heavyweight world champion genuinely wants to make the switch to MMA after he retires from boxing.

In the past we've seen Fury swap the 12-ounce gloves for a pair of tiny MMA mitts, most notably training with UFC fan favourite Darren Till.

But ever since that video of the two Brits scrapping went out online a few years back, Fury's desire of one day stepping into an octagon appears to have died down - until now.

"I think the rougher it gets for Tyson, the better he likes it," Fury's dad John told Joe.

"It brings what they call, I dunno, something different to his job, doesn't it?

"It gives him more goals to achieve and more things to look at and address.

"I think that's what Tyson wants, and when he does finally retire from boxing, he'll probably go to that and probably come back to boxing.

"Whatever he does. But he will engage on that, you'll see."

With a blockbuster trilogy against Deontay Wilder ahead of him, and an ever bigger bout looming against Anthony Joshua, Fury certainly has a lot on his plate at the moment.

So that supposed switch over to MMA, which has some of us diehards licking our lips, may have to wait.

That said, John thinks a "top" MMA coach could do wonders with a fighter like Tyson - regardless of what age he is when he finally makes the leap over.

"With the right training, [he'd do] very well. Because I've seen him excel in different sports like wrestling," John added.

PA

"I've got some kind of an idea of what Tyson was from that, and he likes to get involved, Tyson.

"And I know what he's like from being a kid. He can use more than his hands, believe it or not.

"And he's quick and he's light on his feet, but his balance is good and I do believe if a top MMA trainer took him on, he could do big things with him.

"Ask Darren Till, he's done the work with him. He's got a good forearm smash and all that kind of thing.

"The knees come up and the head goes in, the elbows. I've seen him do it out of boxing, see.

"I've seen him outside in fights and this, that and the other. I know what he's capable of.

"And with the right training, yes, he could do that."

If Tyson does ever step into a steel cage, then it wouldn't be the first time a natural boxer has done so.

There have been a lot of lower-level boxers try their hands (or elbows for that matter) at MMA, but none stand out as much as James Toney

As a multiple world champion with an impressive record of 77-10-3, there was plenty of interest when Toney crossed over into mixed martial arts.

But that hype quickly fizzled out when "Lights Out" got submitted by the legendary Randy Couture after just three minutes in his UFC debut.

It remains his one and only MMA bout.

And then, of course, there was Floyd Mayweather's exhibition match against kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa - but then again, does that really count?

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@darrentill2/PA

Topics: Tyson Fury, Boxing, UFC, Australia, MMA, John Fury