Tyson Fury’s father John denied visa and blocked from entering US for Deontay Wilder fight
Fury’s trainer and father has not been granted entry to the United States due to his previous criminal conviction
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Your support makes all the difference.Tyson Fury will have to defeat WBC heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder without his trainer and father John Fury in his corner after he was denied a visa to enter the United States.
The 1 December bout sees Fury attempt to regain his world title status by claiming the one belt he did not hold when he defeated Wladimir Klitschko three years ago, with the two heavyweight giants set to face-off in Las Vegas in what is only Fury’s third fight since that triumphant night in Dusseldorf and the subsequent fallout that included a struggle with alcohol and drugs addictions, mental health issues and retrospective ban for a positive drugs test.
Having embarked on a comeback in June this year, Fury will face undefeated Wilder in an attempt to take the WBC title and set-up a champion vs champion clash with domestic rival Anthony Joshua, but he will have to do so without his father in his corner.
Fury Snr was released from prison in 2015 after serving four of an 11-year sentence for gouging another man’s eye out during a brawl at a car auction, and the conviction means that he is no longer permitted by US authorities to enter the country.
“There’s a slight problem because I’m not allowed to go into the country,” Fury Snr told the Daily Mail. “I’ve been a naughty boy and there is no point hiding it. I’m not allowed in the country.
“My life is perfect at the minute – the only thing I’m upset about is that I can’t go to America and be there with him.”
The news is a blow for Fury’s hopes of regaining his world champion status given that his father has been in the corner for 19 of his 28 unbeaten fights, including the famous victory over Klitschko and his two comeback victories over Sefer Seferi and Francesco Pianeta.
And his absence has raised fears that Fury could find himself exposed to any tricks that Wilder’s camp attempt to pull in the lead-up to the fight, given his experience in the game.
“John’s been told he can’t go to America,” a source close to the Fury camp told The Mirror. “He’s really disappointed because he desperately wanted to be there to support Tyson.
“He knows all the tricks of the trade and he could have helped Tyson by making sure Wilder’s camp did not try anything.
“All the rest of the family will be there, including Tyson’s brothers, but he has to stay at home.”
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