Few believed Tyson Fury would even make it to the ring when he first announced his boxing comeback, let alone become world champion once again.
The Gypsy King famously dethroned Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, but it soon all came crashing down as he suffered from serious mental health issues and spiralled into drink and drugs binges, ultimately vacating his belts as a result.
5Fury was on top of the boxing world before he left the sportCredit: Getty
After a period in the boxing wilderness, Fury first revealed he was intending to return in March 2017, having addressed his mental health issues, and started a weight loss journey which saw him finally fight again in June 2018 after a two-and-a-half year absence.
A remarkable interview from midway through this process in November 2017 shows the Gypsy King successfully predicted exactly how his comeback would play out.
Fury told iFL TV at the time: “If I’ve been through it and overcome it, to get back to where I am today, then anybody can.
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“Because I was as low as anybody could go. I couldn’t go any lower, the next thing was suicide.
“But now I’m back, back on top, and I’m gonna be king of the world again, for the second time. This time no-one will be able to take it from me.
5Fury weighed around 28 stone (350lbs) when he first said he was planning to return to boxingCredit: Tyson Fury – Instagram
“Because what don’t kill you makes you stronger. I’ve got more fire burning inside than I did before. I want it more, there’s more pain involved.
“When they say you can’t have something it makes you want it even more.
“And when you’re told you’re gonna get banned for a long time, you want it more and more and more.
“And there’s not a man out there born from his mother that can beat the Gypsy King.
5Fury has reigned as WBC champion since 2020Credit: Getty
“Especially not a man with a pair of gloves on, in a boxing ring, with a referee, with judges.
“You haven’t just gotta overcome the size and the reach and the movement and all that.
“You’ve gotta overcome the burning passion inside never to lose a fight.
“The will, the determination, the drive of this individual.
“I don’t call it ‘Return of the Mack’ for nothing. I am the mack daddy of it all.
“It’s my throne that I never lost. I’m the king of that throne in the heavyweight division, the emperor, and I’m still here.
“They may have tried to shut me out in the cold, but I’m still here, I haven’t gone anywhere.
“My fans love me even more now than they did before, my popularity is on the up.
5Fury was also facing a drugs investigation from UKAD while out of the ring, though this was resolved with a backdated ban in a compromise agreement in 2017Credit: Getty
5Fury floored Wilder twice and stopped him in round seven of their 2020 rematch, then KO’d him in their trilogy in 2021Credit: Getty
“Nothing can stop me or deter me away from my path.
“No-one can stop me on this mission back to the top.
“It’s a real life Rocky story. From zero to hero to zero back to hero again.”
Fury returned to the ring in 2018 with a couple of underwhelming fights against Sefer Seferi and Francesco Pianeta before leaping into a WBC world title clash against Deontay Wilder.
This bout ended in a controversial draw, which the Brit rectified by dramatically stopping the American in the subsequent two fights of their trilogy in 2020 and 2021.
He’s since defended his throne against Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora, and will now face Oleksandr Usyk to crown one true king of the division on May 18.
Time will tell if Fury’s prophecy will be completed.
