Tyson Fury has fought 34 professional boxing matches since 2008, dethroned Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, and has been floored four times by Deontay Wilder across a thrilling trilogy, but the WBC heavyweight champion proclaims wrestling is the harder discipline.
“WWE’s too hard for me,” Fury told ESPN. “Boxing is much easier than WWE. It’s very physical and taxing on the body. WWE, getting slammed on the floor and all that sort of stuff. I’d rather move around the ring and dodge punches.”
Fury appeared in his first and only wrestling match for WWE in November 2019 against Braun Strowman and won by countout at the Crown Jewel show in Saudi Arabia. “The Gypsy King” has been ringside and taken part in several other spots for WWE in recent years as well.
Fury (30-0-1, 24 KOs) is next preparing to take on former UFC champion Francis Ngannou (17-3, 12 KOs MMA) in a crossover boxing match on October 28.
Should Fury have an easy night at the office, a date for undisputed heavyweight supremacy awaits soon after against WBO, WBA, IBF, and IBO titlist Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs).
In a separate interview with Sports Illustrated, the 35-year-old Fury remained open to a second act in WWE.
“I’ve been [boxing] for 15 years, which is a long time,” said Fury. “I know it won’t last forever. And it’s true, I’ve had a few good stints in WWE. There is still a lot of opportunity there.
“It’s an amazing experience there. At the moment, I’m very busy with boxing. I’m still active and on top of my chosen profession, so this is where my focus will be. After that, we’ll see.”
Fury also answered his critics who believe his fight against Ngannou is a farce.
“They’re just jealous that I’m getting a bag and they’re not,” said Fury. “It’s a large bag. I can barely carry it. No matter who you are or the profession, haters are going to hate. Go back in history and name the critics.
“Is it good or bad for boxing? Those are opinions of sheep, and that means nothing to the king of the jungle.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.