Saturday 21 May 2016 07:03, UK
Peter Fury hopes his nephew, world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, can avoid further controversy and show the public his true self.
The WBA Super and WBO king (25-0-KO18) is deep in training camp ahead of his July 9 rematch against Wladimir Klitschko (64-4-KO53) and caused a recent media frenzy by claiming he had been felled by a light-heavyweight in sparring, prompting a fall-out with his uncle.
The reports were quickly quashed as the latest in a series of Fury wind-ups but with the Lancastrian having courted criticism for voicing social and ethical views in the past, his trainer is concerned that the champion is not doing himself justice in the public eye.
Peter Fury told Sky Sports of the latest saga: "It's typical Tyson, fooling around in the gym.
"I don't think the media makes a frenzied attack on Tyson at all. I think Tyson is his own worst enemy with the things he comes out with. The press will publish it because it's come out of his mouth, but it's wrong information.
"He'll say to his Dad: 'This has happened to me today' and he'll ride his father right along with it until midnight. His Dad will ring me and ask if I've seen what's happened, and I have to tell him that it's a load of rubbish and that I was with him earlier on. It gives you an idea - he'll play anybody right up the garden path. That's what he does.
It's a pity people don't see the real side of him because he's a top character and a lovely lad and it's causing a load of friction.
"I do care [about people's perceptions of Tyson] because we are in boxing for the fans and if nobody watched it, there'd be no point in doing it. Everybody likes to be respected and it's nice to give it back. It's not nice when someone is treated badly in the press. It's all a misconception, and the only person who can fix it is Tyson.
"Tyson has to really correct it. I'm not saying to curb his personality, because he's got a great personality. He's great for boxing and he says some funny things and some good things. He's just got to keep away from things that really aren't his thing anyway, that are offending people. He needs to be the person he is. He's a funny guy and that's all that needs to come from him.
"Where he's missing a beat is that he can't believe people are taking him seriously when something negative comes out. His family know what he's doing. I know what he's doing but Joe Public doesn't know because you're heavyweight champion of the world and they believe what you're saying to them.
"I am sick of him putting stupid stuff out which is not really him anyway. It's a pity people don't see the real side of him because he's a top character and a lovely lad and it's causing a load of friction. He thinks everyone can see it and he digs himself in a hole and then he'll get depressed. He'll read it all and say he was only messing around and ask why it's been taken seriously."
While Fury's stories of being dropped by lighter men and falling out with his uncle and trainer caused alarm on a boxing level, his outbursts on wider issues have made headline news on more than one occasion. Again, though, in the wake of a public apology, Peter Fury is adamant the public are basing their opinions of the heavyweight on 'false information'.
Peter Fury added: "His ethical beliefs are a load of c**p most of the time. He's a very jovial kind of guy and things come out the wrong way. He's a Christian man. He's got no hatred towards anybody and I think he just gets bored in camp and comes out with anything.
"What you can take from Tyson Fury is that he doesn't take anything seriously. He's a good family man, a good father and a good husband to his wife. All the claims about him being sexist come from him having a joke with his own wife. Do you think his wife would like that if he was serious?
"He's got two children and another on the way. She's a respectable lady. He says that he's done this and that, and had hundreds of women. It's all nonsense for the public to get on a story. It's not reality. It's not the real Tyson Fury and I've asked him time and time again: 'Let the people see the real side of you', rather than putting this stuff out. It's false information.
"He's a very funny guy. There can be 20 people in a building and he'll have them all in laughter. All the things about cultures and ethnicities - that's not Tyson Fury. You've seen us do prayers in changing rooms with every religion. What he says smacks in the face of what he does in reality.
"I suppose he is [a good actor] because he can wind a lot of people up but all I can tell you in reality is that he's a very good person. He's not against any culture or religion and a lot of the things he says are tongue-and-cheek rubbish, whether it's for PR or out of boredom in camp."
