BEAT AJ THEN QUIT, TYSON
Wife begs Fury to stop over fears he’ll get badly hurt She nearly left him over drugs and booze Millionaire loves rummage at rubbish tip
TYSON Fury’s wife today begs the world heavyweight champ boxer to fight only once more – for the sake of his family.
Devoted Paris says he must take on British rival Anthony Joshua but then call it a day to avoid being seriously hurt.
In the most candid interview yet about her undefeated hero, Paris, 29, reveals how Tyson…
GOT back down to earth after last weekend’s £30million win in Las Vegas by taking household junk to his local Lancashire tip.
REFUSES to join other rich Brits in tax-haven Monaco despite his worth of £60million.
PREFERS living in Morecambe to jetset locations such as Marbella or Cannes.
IS DETERMINED to keep on the straight and narrow after his plunge into drink, drugs and depression, which made Paris nearly leave him.
SHRUGS OFF abuse from internet trolls. Mum-of-five Paris said:
“I’d like him to beat Anthony Joshua then stop.
“He’s in the ring with supreme boxers and it is a dangerous sport. We both know the risks. I know one shot can change everything.”
The couple have been trying to get back to normal in their beloved seaside town Morecambe since Tyson’s dramatic WBC title win a week ago.
Greatest
Millions of viewers – and VIP ringside guests like Leonardo Dicaprio, Gordon Ramsay and ex-one Direction star Liam Payne – saw the Gypsy King hammer American title holder Deontay Wilder in seven rounds. Now Paris hopes Tyson, 31, will retire as the undefeated greatest heavyweight in history after fighting Joshua, 30.
Joshua, known as AJ, holds the other four unified heavyweight titles.
Paris said: “If they put all the belts on the line it would be such an amazing fight.
“Tyson can’t go on for ever, he can’t go undefeated for ever. I wouldn’t like him continue for too long and get hurt. I wouldn’t like to see him lose his record chasing money or fame.
“He doesn’t need that. He’s already cemented his name in the history books.”
After last week’s bout the champ serenaded his wife in the ring with Don Mclean’s classic American Pie.
“That’s just Tyson,” smiled Paris, “he’s an all or nothing person. When he’s happy he’s unbelievably happy.”
Normality
Now back in the £550,000 detached home they bought in Morecambe four years ago, Paris said: “He’s done the school run, he’s taking the rubbish to the tip and he’s pottered around a bit in the garden. It’s all about trying to get back to normality.”
This week Tyson’s dad John said he would want a “half a billion” pound purse for a fight with Joshua. But Paris said the mind-boggling amounts of money involved wouldn’t change them.
Tyson went shopping with his kids this week at no-frills store Home Bargains which has cutprice treats such as a £2.99 Mr Bean DVD and £10 Spider-man costume.
Paris, who fell for Tyson when she was 16, said: “We’ve always been sensible with money. We’ve invested sensibly.
“We already have x amount in the bank, but getting any more isn’t going to change us.
“We have a nice, comfortable life. I don’t pay attention to these crazy figures. What are we going to do with it?
“We’ve looked at footballers’ mansions but we don’t want to move.
“We talked about moving to Marbella, Cannes, Monaco, but we don’t want to leave home. Our friends are here, the kids are settled. Why uproot it all? We’ve got everything we need. We know who to call if the washing machine breaks down and if the boiler needs fixing.
“He even went on at me the other day for buying some fancy cushions. He hasn’t changed and we aren’t going to change.” Paris admitted she felt nervous at the Vegas ringside – while her hubby was supremely confident. She
said: “Before a fight I get nervous, but he’s really calm. He’s always confident. It’s always ‘when’ he wins, not ‘if’.
“Years ago I managed the nerves better because I knew he was fighting boxers at British or European level and I knew he was elite.
“Now he’s in the ring with supreme boxers and it is a dangerous sport.
“We both know the risks, but it’s what he wants to do.
Demons
“Even in this fight, though round after round Tyson beat him, I knew that it only takes one punch. Deontay has that big knockout punch.”
And Tyson may have to get back in the ring for a third time with Wilder, 34, before he can fight AJ.
The American has indicated he will invoke a rematch clause after posting a video online yesterday saying: “The war has just begun.”
Back home, Paris said her husband has done so well after his battle with depression, drink and drug addiction when his weight shot up to 28 stone. But the demons are still there. Paris said: “You still see it. He’s had this amazing high, winning the world title in Las Vegas. Then he’s coming home on the school run. You can see why a lot of celebrities and sports stars suffer depression.
“You have all the glitz and glamour but then you just go back to being normal again.
“Tyson can’t go out without someone wanting to take his photo. He can’t understand why. He doesn’t understand that if someone is a fan then they get excited when they see him.
Irritating
“He’s trying to balance being a sportsman, a husband and a dad, with being a superstar.
“But he is managing a lot better now. The worst was in around 2015-16.
“Every day he was talking about his misery and his problems.
“At one stage I wanted to leave. In the end he sought help, got diagnosed and came out of it much better.”
Tyson has revealed he came within seconds of killing himself in a Ferrari after he was crowned unified world champion following his fight against Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
But Paris said: “The turning point was when he mentioned suicide. He said to me, ‘I’m going to stop now and get back into boxing.’
“He turned his life around and stuck to it. We’ve been together for 15 years now so I think I know him pretty well.
“It can be irritating when he gets into one of his low moods for something as simple as someone asking for a photo.
“How can he get so stressed over something so trivial?
“He is a great dad, a loving husband. He always tried to do his best.”
The couple are plagued by web trolls. Paris said: “There’s so much bullying and hatred online. I worry about our kids. They’re too young for social media at the moment but it’s inevitable that they will start using it. “I worry about them having to deal with someone sat at a computer saying things to them, giving them grief, just because of who their dad is.”
She said when Tyson stops fighting he wants to start a gym and set up a foundation to help others with mental health problems.
He now has an ITV flyon-the-wall show. Paris said: “Mental health awareness was one of the reasons we agreed to do the show.”
She added: “He’ll never fully retire from boxing. He’ll be looking for lads he can train. He’ll be ringside at fights.
“It’s a routine he’ll never break.”
One punch can change a life in this dangerous business