By Declan Taylor
LENNOX LEWIS believes Tyson Fury will solely really perceive the significance of his legacy as soon as he has retired from boxing.
On Saturday night time, Fury faces Oleksandr Usyk within the first undisputed heavyweight title battle since his compatriot Lewis beat Evander Holyfield in 1999.
However the Gypsy King has insisted all through the construct as much as this battle that he doesn’t care about leaving a legacy and that he has little interest in how he can be remembered by the boxing world as soon as he hangs up his gloves.
Lewis, nevertheless, who walked away from the game in 2003 after a 44-fight profession which marked him out as one of many perfect heavyweights in historical past, is adamant that solely Fury’s accomplishments within the ring will ease his transition into retirement.
“When he says that he doesn’t care about legacy, I assume at the moment he doesn’t know the significance,” Lewis says. “However he’ll in a while as soon as it’s occurred. Belief me.
“You’ll be able to’t take into consideration something about something apart from the battle now. When he’s doing that he’s making an attempt to not take his thoughts away from the battle. ‘Oh what in regards to the legacy, what about your subsequent battle’. You’re taking him over there, however he desires to remain right here.
“I’m proud of what I did. Even with the losses, the best way I take a look at them if I by no means misplaced I might by no means have realized learn how to come again. If these guys lose they usually stop, they gained’t know learn how to come again.
“Have they got the psychological capability to comeback? Once I misplaced my final one, everybody requested ‘oh, what are you going to do now?’ What am I going to do now? What are you speaking about? Muhammad Ali misplaced thrice. That’s what actually made me come again – Muhammad Ali misplaced thrice and got here again. I wish to do the identical factor.” Fury has typically expressed how boxing – and notably a strict coaching regime – helps maintain his thoughts proper after overcoming a sequence of properly documented psychological well being points.
MORECAMBE, ENGLAND – APRIL 10: Tyson Fury poses for {a photograph} after a press convention forward of the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO and WBC Undisputed World Heavyweight title battle towards Oleksandr Usyk on the ‘Ring of Hearth’ card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at Mazuma Stadium on April 10, 2024 in Morecambe, England. (Picture by Nathan Stirk/Getty Photographs)
However Lewis doesn’t assume the undefeated 35-year-old may have bother preserving busy in retirement.
“He may have tonnes of issues to deal with,” Lewis provides. “He might deal with a singing profession. He may have a lot dough, he can be doing all types of issues along with his household. He can do what he desires; he did a Netflix documentary along with his household already. I watched that, it was nice, all my mates cherished it and stated ‘I’m a Tyson Fury fan now’.”
Lewis, who speaks over an Italian lunch in an upmarket Riyadh restaurant, now lives primarily in Toronto but in addition spends time in his home in Jamaica.
However he revealed it’s not uncommon for him to fireside up movies of his previous fights, and he typically can’t imagine what he’s seeing.
“I really take pleasure in watching the HBO fights again,” he provides.
“There’s not one specifically, really I watch all of them, it’s kinda bizarre. I watch the fights like I wasn’t there. I’m so in-depth it’s like I wasn’t there. There are a few punches the place I see them hit me and I simply assume ‘wow’. I used to be so targeted that it form of simply jumped off my chin. It amazes me to see myself like that, at all times.”
Watch Fury v Usyk, ‘Ring of Hearth’ dwell from Riyadh on TNT Sports activities Field Workplace on Saturday 18 Might. For more information go to: tntsports.co.uk/boxoffice
