Tyson Fury's training squad criticized by father John, who believes Oleksandr Usyk would have knocked out the Gypsy King without his corner guidance.
Rewritten Article:
John Fury's not happy with Tyson's coaching squad, squarely placing blame on SugarHill Steward for not preventing Tyson from wobbling against Oleksandr Usyk. The Gypsy King threw in the towel in January following a second consecutive defeat, and it was a near miss in the first bout where Usyk landed an unanswered barrage of 14 punches that left Tyson reeling.
John, who got a lot of flak for his antics before and after the fight and was later banned from the rematch, thinks he's the only reason Tyson escaped the knockout. Venting to SecondsOut, John declared, "If it wasn't for me in his corner, he'd be knocked out. Simple as that."
John maintains that Tyson was listening to flawed instructions that led to him getting caught on Usyk's left when he should've been avoiding that move. John, being a southpaw himself, argues that he would've caught Tyson if he made that move on him.
"He was listening to bad advice, too many people in the corner, and I'm his father," John continued. "If it wasn't for me, he not only stayed in the fight but won the 11th. He shared the tenth because his legs were gone in the tenth. He was a miracle man to get out of the ninth round, but it was me who kept him in there. If it had been left to them, he'd have been knocked out."
SugarHill Steward, nephew of the legendary Emanuel trainer, has coached Tyson for seven of his fights, with Andy Lee serving as assistant. But John asserts that Steward is unable to train Tyson effectively.
"He was listening to people who don't have any fighting experience," John said. "And if he was that good of a trainer, Emanuel would've given him the top job, wouldn't he? He would've left him the full business. Why didn't Tommy Hearns have him? Why didn't Leonard Lewis have him? Why didn't all the other Kronk fighters have him? Because he's inadequate, and I'm the first to say it."
John claimed that Tyson's training under Steward's guidance is too soft, often corrected by Tyson himself. "They won't tell him he's wrong because they need the money."
In the lead-up to the first battle between Tyson and Usyk last May, John headbutted a member of Usyk's entourage in a heated confrontation in the Riyadh Hilton Hotel lobby in Saudi Arabia. He was left bleeding from his forehead following the attack, which was caught on camera and widely shared on social media.
John, not holding back, criticized SugarHill's coaching performance, stating that the rest of the coaching team allowed Tyson to listen to bad advice, lacked proper preparation, and failed to safeguard Tyson during their bouts.
- John Fury criticized SugarHill Steward's coaching techniques in the business world, comparing the lack of effective training to poor management practices.
- Amidst the politics of boxing, John Fury voiced concerns about the use of inexperienced coaches like SugarHill Steward, suggesting they focus more on producing sports victories rather than only providing videos and footage.
