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By Johnny Walker
The Belfast Telegraph reports today that Tyson Fury, who recently defeated former champion Dereck Chisora to become British and Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion, will return to the ring on September 17 at King’s Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
According to the report, Fury, ethnically an Irish Traveller, had wanted to represent Ireland in the last Olympics but was shut out because of boxing politics. Fury is fiercely proud of his Irish ancestry, and now intends to make Ireland his home base. He eventually intends to bring the world heavyweight boxing titles from Ukraine to the Emerald Isle.
The 6’ 9” Fury, whose family has roots in boxing going back to the days of bare-knuckles fighting, represented both England and Ireland as an amateur, because his father is from Galway and grandmother (on his mother’s side) is from Belfast, in Northern Ireland. Fury is also the cousin of tough world middleweight contender and former Irish Olympian, Andy Lee.
“When I was denied the chance to box for Ireland at the Olympics it hurt me a lot and I truly believe that Ireland was denied an Olympic gold medallist,” Fury explains. “I want to win the Irish title, then the European title and of course I want that fight with Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko, but that’s a fight that will take a lot of planning to put together.”
As he stakes out his turf on the Emerald Isle, Fury is also planning to conquer Irish boxing fans in the U.S., as he makes further inroads on the world heavyweight boxing scene.
“Once the Irish in the states watch me fight and get to know me, I’ll win them over and then I’ll go back over there to celebrate with them when I win the world title,” the typically confident Fury says.
Fury’s opponent for the September 17 bout is not yet known, but an official announcement is expected next week.
