Tyson’s the best, pound for pound...
WORLD CHAMP TEACHES KIDS VALUE OF MONEY BY PAYING THEM FOR CHORES AS HE GETS SET FOR NEXT BANK-BUSTING PAY-DAY
THE thought of seeing Tyson Fury drive around in a Fiat Fiorino seems unlikely now he is more about Ferraris these days.
But the man who bought his first car for £60 insists he would be more proud seeing one of his sons cleaning out their own Vauxhall Corsa than driving around in a flash sports car.
Fury may be about to pocket another fortune by fighting in Saudi Arabia, but the British heavyweight insists his children will always know the value of money.
The Gypsy King has already earned massive wealth from boxing after pocketing eight-figure pay days in the US and UK.
But now he is making even more in the Middle East as he prepares for his undisputed showdown with Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh next weekend, which could net him close to £100million.
“I want my kids to get their own money, do their own things and be their own people,” said Fury. “I don’t believe in just giving all your money to your kids – it will make them weak, spoilt and not value anything.
“They’ll end up getting to 35 and never having done anything for themselves, apart from spending dad’s money.
“They’ll be middleaged looking in the mirror and being disappointed.
“If I buy my son a Lamborghini as soon as he passes his test, he’ll probably kill himself in it. But he also wouldn’t appreciate it.
“But if he works hard and gets himself a 2004 Corsa, he will be outside washing the crap out every day, hoovering it top to bottom.
“And I will be proud of him because he has done it himself.
“I will help them with business deals and investments, but I am not a person who will just give everyone
an easy life. Hard work, dedication and sacrifice are what makes people strive for different things.”
Unbeaten Fury, 35, is a father of seven with wife Paris, with sons Prince and Tyson Jr now eager about giving boxing a go.
But he keeps them grounded by ensuring they do their chores at home.
“Another lesson I like to do is in the summertime we always wash the cars down, maybe every other day,” said Fury.
“I ask the kids why we do it and my little boy will say, ‘We wash these because things are hard to earn, dad, and we’ve got to look after our things haven’t we?’. And I say, ‘Yep, we have. Well done, son’.”
Fury’s own love of cars sees his driveway full of sports cars and Range Rovers – and he still speaks with a passion about his own first motor.
“My first car was a 1997 Fiat Fiorino,” he said. “I paid £360 for it.
“That was my first car I was driving about in, but I actually bought my first car when I was 10 years old.
“It was a Renault Clio and I bought it from three doors down and I sold it for a profit. I bought it for £60 and sold it for £110 on the same day. So I’ve been buying and selling my whole life.
“Before I was boxing, I was a car trader. While I’ve been boxing, I’ve been messing around with cars. It’s my pastime, it’s my hobby.
“I love a deal, whether it’s for 10p or 10 grand or 10 million, whatever. I love having a deal.”
Fury does not need a deal to add to his bank balance, but next week he can add to his legacy by becoming the first boxer since Lennox Lewis in 1999 to be crowned undisputed world heavyweight champion.
“It has taken 25 years to happen, and there have been a lot of good champions since 1999, but the stars just haven’t aligned for them to fight each other,” he added.
“It’s been a long time, so it is good to be part of another big fight. “I am already the standout man, at 6ft 9in. I’ve done everything there is to do – singing, dancing, wrestling and starring in my own Netflix show. I’ve done
everything there is to do.”