Mike Tyson says Tyson Fury's 'mental health issues' are what make him the world's best heavyweight boxer

• Mike Tyson said Tyson Fury was never meant to be normal.
• A two-time heavyweight boxing champion, Fury has signature wins over Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder.
• The unbeaten Brit is backed by BT Sport in the UK and ESPN in the US, and is regarded as one of the finest fighters on the planet, pound-for-pound.
• Mike Tyson said if it weren't for "mental health issues" and being "sick" then he wouldn't be where is today. "Tell him to stay the f--- away from normal."

Tyson Fury's "mental health issues" helped him become today's greatest heavyweight boxer, according to Mike Tyson.

He wouldn't be where he is today — a charismatic marquee name — if it weren't for being "sick," former heavyweight champion Tyson, after whom Fury is apparently named.

Speaking to The Ring magazine, Tyson said: "The mental health issues? That's why he's the greatest, because he's sick, and that's being real."

A two-time heavyweight champion, Fury already has a signature win over the division's previous ruler Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 and a stunning knockout over one of the most fearsome punchers in the entire sport, Deontay Wilder, in 2020.

Backed by Frank Warren and BT Sport in the UK and Bob Arum and ESPN in the US, Fury has tremendous visibility in the game to go alongside the WBC heavyweight world title belt he can wear around his waist. Insider has him ranked as the No.4 fighter in the world right now, regardless of weight.

Fury is now linked to a trilogy bout with Wilder and a high-stakes, all-British battle with Anthony Joshua which could determine an undisputed champion in boxing's glamour division.

But beyond his incredible talent, Fury is a troubled figure, and has frequently opened up about his experience with depression, most notably while filming an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience in 2018.

He told Joe Rogan that in the months which followed his victory over Klitschko, he would drink 18 pints of beer a night, take cocaine, and once drove his Ferrari at 190mph because he wanted to crush it "like a Coke can."

Fury lost approximately 140-pounds of weight and has fought twice before challenging the hard-hitting American champion Wilder in 2018, a fight which was declared a draw.

He rebounded with a further two wins before challenging Wilder again, winning by abandoning the defensive skills which had become synonymous with his performances, and adopting an aggressive approach instead.

In his The Ring interview, Tyson added: "People want him to be normal. Yeah, be normal and go on the f------ welfare line.

"Tyson doesn't know what normal is," he said. "Tell him to stay the f--- away from normal; he wasn't meant to be normal."

Fury has a contractual obligation to fight Wilder for a third fight but because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic it is, as of yet, unclear when they will meet for the final time.

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