Mike Tyson and John Fury agreed to boxing match after callout from Tyson Fury's dad

John Fury remains furious that Mike Tyson chose to fight Jake Paul instead of him, having repeatedly called on his idol 'Iron Mike' to face him in the boxing ring

Mike Tyson and John Fury agreed to fight before the boxing legend accepted his upcoming showdown with Jake Paul.

Tyson, 58, is set to fight YouTuber Paul on November 15 at the AT&T Arena in Arlington, Texas, in front of 90,000 fans. ‘Iron Mike’ was initially scheduled to fight ‘The Problem Child’ earlier this year, but he was forced to pull out of the original contest after suffering an ulcer flare up.

It will be Tyson’s first bout since his exhibition match with Roy Jones Jr in November 2020 and his first professional fight since 2005. But prior to his highly-controversial arrangement with Paul, Tyson last year had agreed to take on the father of his namesake Tyson Fury, John.

Fury Sr has regularly voiced his admiration and respect for the Brooklyn-born boxer, even naming his son after his idol when he was a journeyman boxer in the UK during the 1980s and early-1990s. ‘Big John’ went one step further to angle for a fight with Tyson when his son – then the WBC heavyweight champion – took on Francis Ngannou, who was trained by Tyson, in October 2023.

During a press conference ahead of the bout, which Fury controversially won by split decision, Fury Sr told the man once dubbed the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’: "Let me tell you my brother, the world is going to see what's going to happen with your man [Ngannou]. Your man is going to be getting his head boxed off and stopped at will, my pal. Don't you worry about that, and if I'm wrong me and you will fight straight after. When we're done, me and you will fight."

Tyson laughed at the suggestion but cheered an emphatic: "Yeah," before then adding: "All day, baby". He later claimed that Fury "has been chasing me for 40 years".

As fate would have it, Fury emerged the winner, meaning his dad was unable to realise his dream of taking on his hero in the ring. And the 8-4-1 former boxer, who last fought Steve Garber in 1995, was left bitterly disappointed after Tyson agreed to fight Paul who is 31 years younger.

Fury Sr told Seconds Out : "I'm the same age as him. What the hell is wrong with him? Even His Excellency Turki said 'I'm shocked Tyson didn't want to fight you'. I'm shocked myself.

“But I tell you what, I must have a presence – the Gypsy King's dad. He's fighting a middleweight instead of me. But I'll fight anybody, I'm not bothered. Let's get me paid – but pay me what I'm worth.”

He admitted he was still very keen to take on ‘Iron Mike’, adding: “You can get killed can't you? But I'm willing to risk my life for the right fight. The right fight is him, Mike Tyson."

Tyson, who dominated the heavyweight division with an astonishing streak of 37 straight wins in the 1980s, previously burst into tears after learning the story behind his namesake Tyson Fury. John Fury told the icon in a face-to-face meeting the emotional story about his son Tyson's difficult birth, and that he had “waited 35 years to meet this man”.

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