Colin Hart: Tyson Fury, despite his many faults, is now entitled to compassion as he battles depression
Brit pulled out of his rematch with Wladimir Klitschko on as he is suffering from severe depression
TYSON FURY will not get the public sympathy he deserves because of his long history of extreme antisocial rants.
A week ago, the Brit heavyweight pulled out of his rematch with Wladimir Klitschko on October 9 as he is suffering from severe depression.
Twenty four hours later, Fury, 28, was loudly booed as he left the Manchester Arena.
With a family member having been treated for years for mental illness, I know Tyson should be pitied not pilloried.
Unlike a physical injury, a victim of a psychiatric disorder can never be sure how long it will take before they are cured — if at all.
It is almost certain Fury will be stripped of the WBA and WBO world heavyweight titles that he won by beating Ukrainian Klitschko nearly a year ago.
Even worse, there’s every possibility Fury’s unbeaten career could be over.
There have been many boxing champions who have been tortured by mental illness.
I will never forget the unnerving experience of watching Oliver McCall having a nervous breakdown in the ring when he clashed with Brit Lennox Lewis in Las Vegas, 19 years ago.
McCall, at the start of the fourth round and without any warning, turned his back on a bewildered Lewis and refused to fight.
The American’s lips started to quiver before he burst out crying and kept walking in circles until the bell.
When he came out for the fifth, he was still weeping and refusing to fight. Ref Mills Lane had no option but to declare Lewis the winner.
Oliver ended up in a psychiatric ward. Yet, amazingly, nine months later he was back fighting and winning.
Peter Fury, Tyson’s uncle and trainer, says the heavyweight champ’s meltdown is a result of a hate campaign against him. Tyson has only himself to blame.
His abusive rants about homosexuals, women and religion were beyond the pale.
He also faces a drug inquiry for allegedly taking an illegal substance. If found guilty, he would get a lengthy ban from boxing.
Ex-world heavyweight champions Frank Bruno and Riddick Bowe know what it’s like to battle depression and will understand what Fury is going through.
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Boxers usually only suffer from depression after they retire and are faced with not knowing what to do with the rest of their lives.
Manchester’s Anthony Farnell, a former WBU middleweight champion, struggled with that.
Farnell, now a trainer, said: “It got to the point when I wanted to die.
“If I hadn’t gone into rehab I’d have killed someone or myself.”
Perhaps people will realise that Fury, despite his many faults, is now entitled to our compassion.
